On Habits: Change is never easy and even harder to sustain. This article clearly states the power of “habits”. To achieve habits, I believe there is an interim milestone – routine. As a consultant, change agent, and an educator, my goal, both with my students and clients, is often to embed the change as a part of their routine so it is no longer perceived as new. Once the routine is accepted, then it has a higher likelihood of becoming a sustainable habit.
Te Wu’s comments on an article by Julie Dirksen for TD.org titled, ” Development programs should help employees convert tasks into workplace habits “
Julie Dirksen for TD.org writes: When I begin a new instructional design project, I usually start by asking whether the desired behaviors are clearly defined procedures or are more tacit skills requiring judgment and experience. I’ve recently added another question to the list: Are any of the desired behaviors habits?
A habit is defined in the dictionary as “an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.” This describes many of the behaviors we all exhibit throughout the day.
For example, how much of being a good manager is based on habits? Two different managers could have equal knowledge and skills, but their habits—the habit of communicating, delegating, or giving clear and frequent feedback—could be the crucial difference between success and failure.
I spent several years teaching project management, including creating materials to prepare people for the PMP (Project Management Professional), a challenging test that people work hard to pass. But in my experience, the critical difference between an exceptional project manager and a poor one is not her ability to calculate the float in a critical path, but rather her habits of persistence, organization, and follow-through.
So how does habit design intersect with talent development? If good habits are crucial for success, then how do we help support the development of those habits? Snip, the article continues @ TD.org, click here to continue reading….