Changing behaviour – one small step at a time
By Carolyn Quainton in Behaviour, Customer, Employee engagement, Inspiration
We’re all trying to change behaviour. Whether it’s sticking to a New Year’s resolution or encouraging employees to adopt the right behaviours at work, the challenge remains the same: how do we make change stick?
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, reminds us that meaningful behaviour change starts with changing habits.
Why habits matter
Our daily habits such as brushing our teeth, checking or phones, going to the gym, shape nearly 40% of what we do each day. These habits, often automatic, play a vital role in our success, wellbeing and sense of purpose.
Don’t focus on goals – focus on systems
Clear makes the distinction simple:
Goals define what we want.
Systems define how we get there.
A team might aim to boost customer satisfaction, but if they obsess over the score alone, they miss the point. Instead, they need to build strong daily behaviours that support a brilliant customer experience. As Clear says, “The score takes care of itself.”
When we embed the right habits into our systems, success becomes sustainable, not sporadic.
Micro habits in the workplace
Employees act on tiny habits throughout the day, many without realising. They make dozens of small decisions based on cues from colleagues, past environments, personality traits or even previous organisations.
These micro habits, though small, hold immense power. They form the foundation of each employee’s personal system. And when we scale that up, they significantly influence organisational performance and culture.
So if performance isn’t where you want it to be, start by examining your team’s habits – and your own. Leadership behaviour is contagious. Culture transformation begins with example.
Shape identity, not just behaviour
People often focus on outcomes – “I want to run a marathon.” But Clear encourages a deeper question: What kind of person do I want to be? In this case: a runner.
Habits help shape identity. Repeating the right behaviour reinforces the identity behind it. Want a high-performing, customer-first culture? Start by helping your team see themselves as empathetic, customer-focused problem solvers.
This is where behaviour change becomes identity change – and where leaders can make the greatest impact.
The key message here is: if you’re not getting the results you want from your employees, then start with their habits (and your habits – because your behaviour influences their behaviour).
Start with who, not what
Ask yourself: Who do we want our employees to be? What do we want them to stand for?
If you manage a customer-facing team, don’t just ask them to hit a CSAT target. Focus on nurturing traits like emotional intelligence, active listening and genuine curiosity.
Once you’ve defined the right identity, create the environment that enables it. James Clear’s Four Laws of Behaviour Change offer a practical framework:
Make it obvious
Make it attractive
Make it easy
Make it satisfying
We’ll explore how to apply these principles at work in our next blog.
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