culture
Breaking the Habit
ORGANIZATIONS CAN BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FALLING INTO BAD HABITS, TOO
Rhonda’s story is an interesting one. She is an experienced
project manager. In her organization, she works with six
other team members to manage large-scale change initiatives
internally. This team reported to a leader who ruled
with an iron fist. He was a micromanager who provided little opportunity
for his team to collaborate and share their ideas.
Recently, that leader was transferred to another department.
Not surprisingly, Rhonda and her team were delighted to welcome
a new department head. Their new manager has a very different
leadership style – the antithesis of a micromanager. Rather, she
operates from a place of high trust and delegates freely. She shares
clear objectives and then empowers her team to take action and
make their own decisions.
However, this story has an unusual twist. One might assume
that Rhonda and her team transitioned seamlessly to their wonderful
new situation. But, in fact, the opposite occurred.
After years of working in a low-trust, toxic environment, Rhonda
and her team struggled to transition to a more inclusive one. Since
the team was so used to being micromanaged, they set up systems
and habits to support this management style. Once they were empowered
to make their own decisions, they all felt a little lost.
What’s going on here? Don’t we all desire the opportunity to
work for a leader who empowers us? According to the book The
Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business,
Rhonda and her team’s reaction is not a surprising one. Author
Charles Duhigg says that our habits have a big impact on our
behaviour and our success. The research indicates that we often
realize that our habits are not aligned with our desires, yet we become
stuck in a rut and find it difficult to change. Rhonda and her
team were definitely stuck in a rut. They really struggled to create
new, positive habits to support the expectations of a new and empowering
leader.
By Vanessa Judelman
Lightspring/Shutterstock
WE OFTEN REALIZE THAT
OUR HABITS ARE NOT
ALIGNED WITH OUR
DESIRES, YET WE BECOME
STUCK IN A RUT AND FIND
IT DIFFICULT TO CHANGE.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ MAY/JUNE 2015 ❚ 49