Many situations occur in business repetitively and we often build processes around those activities. For instance, when hiring new employees, many companies and managers have an onboarding process they routinely follow. Similarly, when preparing for a new business meeting, we at Communiqué PR have outlined a process which we typically follow.
The book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg, explains how habits get formed. MIT researchers discovered three core components to habit formation. First there is a cue. When you receive the cue, you act, which is referred to as the routine. Following the routine there comes a reward.
For example, a stressful day might trigger you to put on your running shoes and jog your favorite route, or you might pour a glass of wine and call a friend to chat. The stressful day would be the cue, and how you respond is your routine, which over time often becomes a habit. The run or wine will bring you relief from your feelings of stress.
The book offers a powerful reminder of how both positive and negative habits impact business as well as one’s personal life. In addition, the author shares interesting insight about the halo effect of habits, meaning once you make a change in one area of your business or life there is a spill-over effect and other changes begin to happen.
In chapter four of his book, Duhigg explains how focusing on one keystone habit – improving worker safety, in Duhigg’s example – allowed the manufacturing company Alcoa to reap a plethora of benefits. By improving safety, the company reduced the number of injuries and deaths of employees. This alone was a huge and rewarding emotional and financial benefit. Beyond that, the folks at Alcoa also changed their corporate culture, streamlined communication, and improved the manufacturing processes. Collectively, all of these improvements made the company more successful and significantly increased its profits.
This example got me thinking about processes in our company. While much of the work we do for individual clients is unique, many times the way that we approach it often becomes routine. By continuously working to improve our approach and processes around basic activities, I am confident we will improve our efficiency and effectiveness.
If you are struggling with an issue or challenge that seems to come up repeatedly, I highly encourage you to read this book and think about your routine, what triggers it, and what underlying needs you are addressing for yourself or your business.