Four weeks on from the New Year, how many of you are sticking with the changes you have decided to do.  If so how have you done it? Have you been making notes, maybe reviewing for 5 mins at the end of the day and then have you been looking at those changes at the end of the week? Has this worked for you?

As you approach the end of the month, I would suggest it is always a good idea to look at the whole of the month. Think about what little changes you have found easy and how you can grow them more. Look at the month in total may show you a pattern as to when you have stuck with your decision and why you haven’t. Remember what you think you have changed maybe what you think you have changed you may not have. Reflection is the key to understand your own process fully.

What if you haven’t? Why? What has stopped you? Maybe your expectations were a little unrealistic. In life, we make massive decisions and then when our expectations are not met, and our self-imposed rules we place on ourselves are not met, we see failure in ourselves. That is why little changes work all the time, not big. Remember you are forcing into your long-term memory some changes for life not just for a couple of months? It is about life changes.

I am working on my one change.  As I get older, I have decided I am going to eat more superfoods. How am I doing this, what have I changed so far, where can I make more changes? It is working well because of fundamentally two things. One, I have decided to do it and decided this is for life, it is about making that decision and secondly, reflecting on my days, weeks and months with a diary. I know the process with little changes works, which is why I use it myself, try it.

In your professional life, I have found this process works and wins people over, little changes with your team. Not the significant changes that some managers decide where the workforce don’t buy into it. It is about the small changes that start to make your workforce work with you try it.

Little changes work, try it always keeping the goal in view. A great way to keep the result or goal in sight is to put a picture in a room that is good for you, so you see it every day. This makes the little changes in your journey seem worthwhile to get you to your overall goal.  A coachee of mine has pictures on their bedroom ceiling, so when they wake up the vision is in front of them straight away, the goal which motivates the little changes for that day.

Coaching is fantastic for this, guides without judgement.

Claire Moody is our head coach at Target Training, and you can read more about her here.  She delivers training on coaching for managers courses, and you can learn more about these courses here and see dates here.