continued...
If, as a new leader, you decide to consult your company’s leadership team, you could reword your thinking questions as follows: “I would like to improve my delegation skills. Could you advise me on strategies you have found effective as a leader?” When you take action to retrain your brain and pull yourself out of a deeply ingrained habits, you are taking the first step toward developing new habits. Action is crucial – it distances you from the fear and anxiety associated with stepping out of your comfort zone. Action can and should be small incremental steps. We have to trick our brain into change, as it will naturally resist it otherwise. To do that, start with small steps that build upon each other. This creates a ninja-like move with our brain, and before you know it, you are working in a change environment that now feels normal. Today, it is more crucial than ever to learn how to retrain your brain and reprogram your automatic tendencies. The COVID pandemic has pulled us collectively into an uncomfortable and habit-breaking time, and the best way to adapt is to take intentional, conscious steps. By reforming your habitual behaviors, you are giving yourself a gift: a more comfortable future. Though life may seem chaotic and unpredictable right now, you can conquer uncertainty and fear. It just takes time, patience, and a strategy. Start with the three steps above, take a deep breath, and begin taking control of the panic stirred up by your habit-loving reptilian brain.
These questions cannot be resolved with a simple yes or no answer. They require some reflection and follow-up action. This way of thinking will take your mind off the discomfort of changing your habit and guide you into a problem-solving mentality. Our brains are wired that in order to ‘think’, we have to get out of the emotional and automatic parts of our brains. By asking a non-yes or no question, you are guaranteed to be less emotional, less threatened, and access more problem solving/creative alternatives! Applying this strategy to the scenario of a new leader, you might frame your thinking question in the following way: “I recognize that delegating does not come naturally for me. What if I made a conscious effort to assign a simple task to a team member every day this week?” Another question you might ask is this: “What if I consulted other members of leadership about my struggles?” Notice that these questions are open-ended, thought- provoking, and require further action.
STEP 3
ACT ON YOUR THINKING QUESTIONS
Asking thinking questions inevitably leads to action. In this step, you bring your thinking questions to life and start strategizing and engaging others who are involved in your problem-solving. Start gathering relevant information with the goal of answering your thinking questions and successfully carving out a new habit or methodology for yourself. In the case of the new leader, you may choose to either talk with your team, your superiors (who have, perhaps, been in the same position at one time or another), or both. If you talk with your team, you might reframe your thinking questions and say something like this: “I am preparing to increase your involvement in the company’s daily tasks. How can we work together to make sure you have the resources and support you need to complete your assignments in an accurate and timely manner?”
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS BRAIN TRAINING IN GREATER DETAIL, PLEASE SEND US A NOTE.
ABOUT THE DISRUPTIVE ELEMENT
THE DISRUPTIVE ELEMENT IS A LEADERSHIP PERFORMANCE COMPANY THAT HELPS BUSINESSES IDENTIFY AND IGNITE POTENTIAL IN THEIR PEOPLE. OUR MODEL REVOLVES AROUND A NUCLEUS OF NEUROSCIENCE—BECAUSE CHANGE IS AN INSIDE JOB. WE HELP INDIVIDUALS, TEAMS, AND ORGANIZATIONS MEET THEIR DESIRED RESULTS THROUGH OUR ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT (OD), LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, AND COACHING SERVICES.
Brain Resisting Change | 29
Powered by FlippingBook