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By
Kathleen Post, Partner
By now, many of us have resolved to make positive changes in the year ahead. If we are a microcosm of the general population, our resolutions likely relate in some way to our waistlines, wallets, and/or generally being a better person. The sad reality is that now, in week three of January, many of us have seriously faltered in our new practices or flat-out abandoned them. Studies show that of the 300,000 Americans who make resolutions each year, 22% fail after one week, 40% after one month, 50% after three months, 60% after six months, and 81% after twenty-four months. Yikes!
Why is it so difficult to make resolutions stick? As you can imagine, there are volumes of theories on this subject, which can ultimately be distilled into three key categories:
- Reflection - We stop engaging in the kind of reflection that motivated us to make the resolutions in the first place. At the beginning of the year, we reflect upon what we want, who we want to be, and what this looks like, yet often fail to continue this reflection as time goes on. Ongoing reflection allows us to gauge commitment level, identify obstacles, or even to create more attainable resolutions that bring joy in the moment as opposed to relegating “happiness” to some distant point in the future through the attainment of extravagant goals.
- Action - Many of us don’t create concrete action plans. Resolutions tend to be vague, nondescript, and often too large (such as, “get life in order”). Studies show that less than 10% of us actually write out our resolutions . If we took the time to make SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound), we would likely be better positioned to actually achieve them.
- Practice – It is very human to give up before our bodies have a chance to get used to the grandiose new ideas we have for them. A recent study found that when we want to develop a relatively simple habit like eating a piece of fruit each day or taking a 10-minute walk at lunchtime, it can take over two months of daily repetitions before the behavior becomes a habit. The reality is that to make any kind of change, we have to do the things we are trying to learn, whether it’s riding a bike or breathing deeply, which takes time and practice.
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about “New Year’s Resolutions Gone Bad” is that these same categories and principles are found at the heart of many leading organizational psychology, coaching, and change management theories. In other words, what derails our ability to lose 10 pounds is the same thing that keeps our firms from re-engineering fee structures or re-imagining staffing models. It’s as if you were investigating a microbe and found a secret map of the entire universe. At a time when most of us desire not only personal, but also organizational change, this is welcome wisdom.
The Secret: Create a Learning Mindset
These same categories of reflection, action, and practice are found within one of the leading and influential theories on managing change at both an individual and organizational level. Chris Argyris, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Business School, argues that if we aren’t achieving our objectives, a la New Year’s Resolutions, it may be because we operate on a single-loop learning mindset. That is, when we fail to achieve certain results as individuals or organizations, our tendency is to modify our actions and then try again. Historically, this is how we have gone about learning and solving problems. Fail, test something new, repeat, fail, test something new, repeat. For example, let’s say a smoker sets a resolution to stop smoking in 2009. She buys a Nicotine patch and the darn thing “doesn’t work”. December 30th arrives and she set the same resolution but this time it’s hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy doesn’t work so it is replaced with acupuncture. Recognize this loop? How about raise associate salaries in response to poor associate morale, it doesn’t work, raise them higher, it doesn’t work, so add in a bonus? Replacing one action with another action, particularly given the accelerated nature of our lives and organizations today, is often akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It is positive that we make an effort, but the approach we take may be flawed.
A more effective approach to achieving the results we want is to supplement action modification with greater self awareness and reflection. "Double-loop learning" involves reflection, action modification and repetition (i.e. practice). It requires us to reflect at a deeper level on values, beliefs, thoughts, assumptions, and policies in addition to replacing failed actions with new actions and practicing them. Applying this to our smoker, proponents of double-loop learning would say that without honest reflection on why she continues to smoke, what kinds of limiting beliefs are preventing her from stopping, what inspired her to start smoking in the first place, etc.—in addition to changing her actions and practicing them—she is positioning herself to achieve the same results over again. Alternatively, she may succeed at achieving the results she wants in this domain, while another one is adversely affected, perhaps her eating habits, for example. Why? The limiting thoughts and beliefs are still there, hiding. At a firm level, policies or programs that are replaced with new ones without honest reflection on what “didn’t work” may lead to new policies and programs producing the exact same results.
Ultimately double-loop learning, also known as Second Order Learning or Transformational Learning, suggests that if we want to reach our fullest potential as individuals and organizations, we need to engage the balance of opposites: reflection and practice, being and doing, self awareness and action, yin and yang, peacefulness and productivity, etc. If we only reflect and do not act/practice, we won’t get far. If we leap into action/practice without reflection, we may (1) explore too many roads and burn out/give up or (2) travel roads that aren’t the best ones, which we won’t know until the next time we reflect again, perhaps on December 31.
These concepts are simple enough, yet this is really a new kind of learning for most of us. Culturally and historically, we tend to forget the self awareness/reflection piece of the equation as a prerequisite for achieving personal and professional effectiveness. If we aren’t getting the results we want, we may reflect on ways to modify our actions, but not also investigate the role our beliefs, thoughts, and background paradigm play. Without taking a good look at how all of these are operating individually and within our organizations, actions and results tend to remain in an unproductive loop. Higher-level learning is about a kind of ongoing reflection that helps us to identify the limitations of our existing worldview in order to open us to the new actions, practices, conversations, and results that weren’t perceived possible before.
More on BigLaw
Whether we are talking about creating change at a personal, professional, or organizational level, the same principles apply. Staying economically viable in today’s market requires greater levels of self awareness, and ever-new actions and practices. This is not news to many of you. In some firms, “Self Awareness” can now be found as one of a handful of carefully chosen core competencies, a key concept in leadership curricula and/or new associate training, and the genesis of firm-wide coaching programs. Firms also use psychometric tools such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI), 360-degree assessments, and upward evaluations in an effort to expand self awareness and support behavioral change. These kinds of programs and tools provide important opportunities for reflection and action that otherwise would not happen for time-pressed lawyers, so keep up the good work.
As for those resolutions, don’t give up on them or yourself if you have faltered or even abandoned ship. Think about how your beliefs and thoughts may be limiting the universe of actions and results you see as possible for yourself. Balance the three keys: reflection, action, and practice. And if you really want to make change happen this year, consider hiring a coach. There are reasons why coaching works—it inspires the kind of ongoing reflection, self awareness, goal setting, and accountability that makes higher-level learning and sustainable change possible.
Good luck! We will check back in next issue to see how you are doing…
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”~ Zig Ziglar, Author and Motivational Speaker
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Interesting New Year's Stats |
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- 45% of Americans set New Year's resolutions
- 57% are 18-24
- 32% are 54
- Less than 10% write down their goals
Most Common Resolutions
- 34% related to money
- 38% related to wegiht
- 47% related to self improvement or education
- 31% related to relationships
Top Three Reasons for Failed Resolutions
- 63.8% - lack of commitment
- 45.3% - lack of self confidence
- 41.3% - poor time management
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Kathleen Post is a Partner in the consulting
firm of Shannon & Manch LLP. She can be reached at 202.293.8900 or at post@shannonandmanch.com.
Article References:
- Sad, Gaad. “Miscellaneous Facts About New Year’s Resolutions.” Psychology Today, December 31, 2009. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/homo-consumericus/200912/miscellaneous-facts-about-new-year-s-resolutions
- Tanner, Maluchnik. “Setting Effective New Year’s Resolution Goals in 2010,” LifeDestiny.net, http://lifedestiny.net/setting-goals-2010
- “How Long to Form a Habit?” Psyblog, http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/09/how-long-to-form-a-habit.php
- Argyris, Chris and Schon, Donald. Organizational Learning II. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley, 1996.
- Sieler, Alan. Coaching to the Human Soul: Ontological Coaching and Deep Change. Blackburn, Vict.: Newfield Australia, 2005.
New Year's Statistics Sources:
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