Tag Archives: new year’s resolutions

TNF #067: New Year’s resolution

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Welcome Professionals…

…Happy New Year to all professionals out there! Hope you are having a great start into 2017.

It is time for New Year’s resolutions. Did you make any? Or did you even already break one? Why is it so hard to keep these resolutions?

New Year’s resolutions are typically about behavioural change. Examples are:

 

  • Quit smoking
  • Eat more healthy
  • Do more structured business development
  • etc.

As professionals striving towards continuous improvement we know what makes behavioural change successful. We know that we must set S.M.A.R.T. goals, that we need a clear “why” with an emotional attachment, that we need to establish habits instead of using sheer will power.

What we also know is that failure will be part of the road to success. It is highly unlikely to accomplish a goal in one step and without any form of failure. If so, the goal was just not ambitious enough.

New Year's resolution

For many people, failing on a resolution equals breaking the resolution. This is when the “what the hell effect” comes into play. The first time they fail, these people will think: “What the hell, this New Year’s resolution is already broken!” This is when the resolution gets postponed to the next year.

We as professionals know that failure is inevitable and only an intermediate step to accomplishment. A resolution does not get broken by failure. It only gets broken once we stop pursuing our goals!

Wishing you a Happy New Year full of professional accomplishments!

Malte

Thursday Night Flight is brought to you by Malte Müller Professionals. Sharing best practices for top management consultants on topics like communication, client handling, problem solving, appearance, and fitness. Check out www.mm-professionals.com for more material and free resources!

TNF #014: Change – how the force awakens

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Welcome Professionals…

…we are beginning a new year tomorrow. As usual at this point in time, many of us will craft new year resolutions. Resolutions that shall change something in our lifes for the better. But what makes the difference between halfhearted wishful thinking and a rigorous change effort?

It is the case for change! When change fails for individuals or for organizations, it is often due to underestimating the case for change.

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Change is expensive, change is an effort. Nobody changes just because he or she feels like it in that moment when glasses are raised on New Year’s Eve. We need to take a conscious decision and we have to attach a strong motivation to our effort. Motivation works best if there is not only a rational reason, but also a strong emotional trigger attached.

It is just a matter of our human brain that avoiding pain is a much stronger motivator than seeking pleasure. So if we are seeking for change to the better, it helps to formulate the pain we are facing if we stay where we are.

In summary, a strong case for change consists of:

  • Conscious decision to act now
  • Rationale for change
  • Emotional motivator of avoiding pain in the future

Phrased in an example, the case for change could be: “If we do not bring our production cost down to USD 75 per piece in 2016, we will loose a market share of 20% and eventually be pushed out of buisiness in 2020. We will loose everthing we worked for in our company history over the last 50 years.” This would be a strong case for change, wouldn’t it? Now try and fill this exemplary case with your own resolution!

Happy New Year!

Malte

Thursday Night Flight is brought to you by Malte Müller Professionals. Sharing best practices for top management consultants on topics like communication, client handling, problem solving, appearance, and fitness. Check out www.mm-professionals.com for more material and free resources!