In systems thinking we often explore structure in a system. We want to see the various factors that are keeping the system in line. We want to see what exists that promotes the system and works to maintain it.
The other day I was at work, frustrated with the latest problem. We were trying to develop several of our employees. We saw potential in them and wanted to improve their leadership capabilities. This would allow them to take on more important work.
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Some people take in information and magnify it. Someone presents a small problem to them and it turns into a major problem. Then they ruminate about this major problem and the need for a major solution.
But life is more about subtle problems than major ones. It is more about the years of overeating than the doctor's visit where we learn our BMI lists us obese. It is more about a student’s poor study habits than the failing grade on a test. It is about a lack of a budget, not the foreclosure.
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Most improvement books talk about how much the environment impacts our thoughts and behaviors. Those around us have an impact on us. Sometimes this is obvious and sometimes this is subtle.
Parents have understood this for generations. That is why parents are always concerned when their son or daughter starts hanging out with the wrong crowd. Sure, our son or daughter could be a positive influence on those in the group but those in the group will also be an influence on our son or daughter.
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If you are trying to reach a new objective at work or in your personal life, setting process goals can be helpful. This can be the difference between success and failure, if done right.
A process goal is a specific action that you identify to help you achieve something. It is different from most of the goals that people set.
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When I am working through a new process at work, I look for three factors before I implement it with staff. I want to make sure these three elements are there or I know that it will likely fail as we try to build this new system.
We can use the same three elements in our personal system and habit development. They can clue you in to the power of a particular system. They can also clue you in to a system that might have problems.
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As we move through our life there are many phenomenon that we can’t explain. We don’t understand why we didn’t get that promotion, or we can’t figure out why our relationship went sour.
We can’t understand why so we assume it must be some magical reason. We say it is luck. Or we say it is fate. We justify it by saying we skipped some random good deed so this must be Karma paying us back.
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Habit rules us all. We go through life developing certain patterned behaviors. Sometimes we are conscious of these and sometimes we have no awareness of them. Sometimes they are positive habits and sometimes they hold us back.
If you have a habit of smoking cigarettes you know about your habit. But if you have a habit of feeling entitled too quickly at a job, do you know you have this habit? What about if you use too many filler words when speaking to others?
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Whenever we set out to change the systems and habits in our lives, we will find that consistency is important. We have to keep doing certain things. We can’t just do something once and expect a payoff.
The focus of the systems and habits approach to improvement is to change your recurring thoughts and actions over time. It isn’t to suddenly think differently. It isn't to change by tomorrow. It is to tweak aspects of our routines so that we can make them better in the future.
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We all need to have hope that things can be better. We have to have some sense of optimism over the future. Without hope, everything becomes a struggle but with hope that struggle becomes manageable.
I have been on both sides of this. I have felt hopeless. This translated into being lazy and blaming others for my own disappointments in life. I have been hopeful. This tends to be when I fought through adversity. During these periods I didn’t let things get me down or stop me from making progress.
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When I was in high school, I worked for a retail shoe store. I would talk to customers and help them determine the best shoes to buy.
The corporate office gave us sales goals each month. The goals were set from historical performance. Each month we would review the upcoming goals to make sure everyone knew what was expected.
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Most people that I know want it all. They want success. They want happiness. They want to be envied, loved, and cherished. They want to achieve all sorts of goals.
Some people take this desire and turn it into motivation. They start working towards their goals.
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Most people feel that resilience and persistence are innate characteristics. They say we are either born that way, or we aren’t.
But this is misleading. I know because I have found myself on either end of the spectrum at various points in my life.
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Our behaviors follow patterns. We react in similar ways when confronted with similar stimuli. In certain environments we act by doing the same thing we have always done.
We often feel we have control over these types of autopilot thoughts and behavior. But time and time again we react and think about what’s happening much less than we realize.
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This past Saturday I watched a great college football game. The University of Minnesota played Penn State. Both teams came into the matchup undefeated. Both teams needed the win to keep their momentum. Both teams wanted to win to help their odds of getting into the College Football Playoff.
From the start, the University of Minnesota came out playing tough. They were the underdog but played with a ferociousness that is often reserved for the top programs. They ultimately won the game and set off a party in Minnesota for accomplishing such a great feat.
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Last month I was working with a team that was having trouble hitting the goals that we set. They were struggling but seemed convinced that the current way of doing things was the best way.
They argued that the small changes we wanted to make weren’t going to have any impact. They felt they were too small. They wanted something major, not some small daily change.
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I put a lot of value in standards. In my personal life I am always looking at what the standard thought or action is in any given situation. In my work life, I help define the standards for each role in the business. This gives clarity around expectations and accountability.
Standards are important yet most people find this topic boring and mundane. Who wants to look at the standard process or routine when they can dream about what they might do once they succeed?
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A lot of people I know procrastinate when it comes to important things they need to do. They wait. They think about it. They analyze. They worry.
While research and analysis is important it is more important that we start moving. We can’t sit back and wait forever. We can’t tell ourselves that we are waiting for the perfect time because there is no such thing as the perfect time.
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When we start to improve and chase our dreams, it is easy to get caught up daydreaming about rewards. It is more fun to think about success than thinking of the work required. It is a natural motivator to convince us to do something difficult to change for the better.
But for most people this doesn’t translate into lasting motivation. Instead it creates a mindset of daydreaming. Then we start to want the rewards more and more but aren’t willing to do what is necessary to reach our goal.
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There are patterns in each of our lives that we often ignore but can clue us into great insight into how to improve. We can search for recurring themes in our life. Then we trace the path back to our thoughts or actions that created the environment for those themes.
Even though it is often difficult to see this in our self, we can usually spot it in others. We see why those around us struggle. We know what they should do; they need to listen to us. For some reason, we can see what they miss due to bias and flawed thinking.
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