From ditching red meat to getting to the office early, most people can say that they have been able to develop at least a few good habits. However, how many of us can also say they thought they licked a problem behavior only to have it creep back in again?
The same can be said of teams. Your department made a pact for no more texting during meetings back in January, but now there are more eyes focused on thumbs typing furiously under the table as the weeks pass. In situations like this, it’s difficult to think about bringing up the issue again, like swimming against the tide. If its your own habit, your mind might draw the conclusion that you just can’t change because of lack of time, will power, support etc. In other words, bad habits seem like they are permanent fixtures.
Here’s the thing—most change happens after multiple attempts and because of multiple attempts. Its rare that we have all our needs and supports figured out before making a well-intentioned shift Instead of giving up or berating yourself, ask, what did learn from the period of time when I was choosing to drink water over soda? At the point when I opted to buy that coke at the vending machine, what would have helped us continue choosing the water?
In the example of the team limiting texting during meetings, voicing the observation that the texting has crept back in is the first step Asking supportive questions is the next. To fuel your courage, remember that chances are that people will be grateful to have the issue revisited. From there ask, what was our purpose for making the change? Is that still important? If yes, what do we need to do or think about to get us back on track?