We have all been there. We set a goal full of enthusiasm and good intentions, only to find our motivation fizzling out a few weeks later. Whether it is a New Year’s resolution to exercise more, a promise to ourselves to eat healthier, or a commitment to be more productive at work, turning good intentions into lasting habits can be a real struggle.
Why is behavior change so difficult? Well, it is a complex process that involves not only knowing how to change but also having a strong enough why to keep us going when things get tough. Our brains are wired to prefer familiar patterns and routines, even if those routines are not serving us well. Breaking free from these ingrained habits requires effort, focus, and a good dose of resilience.
The good news is that there is a way to make the journey of behavior change easier and more successful. It starts with recognizing that willpower alone is often not enough. We need a structured approach, a system that provides support, guidance, and accountability along the way.
That is where Chris Taylor and his company Actionable come in. He has developed a powerful tool that helps individuals and organizations turn their goals into reality. Chris was a guest on the Accelerating Operational Performance podcast so you can listen to the full episode here or watch it here.
Understanding the Actionable Platform
The Actionable platform is more than just a learning management system (LMS). It is a comprehensive behavior change platform designed to help individuals and organizations bridge the gap between learning and doing. At its core, Actionable recognizes that real change happens not just in the classroom or during a workshop, but in the day-to-day application of new skills and knowledge.
So, How Does Actionable Work?
- Setting Intentions: It starts with setting clear intentions for behavior change. This could be anything from improving communication skills to becoming a more effective leader.
- Creating a Daily Practice: Actionable helps users translate their intentions into concrete daily practices. This involves breaking down large goals into smaller, more manageable actions that can be easily integrated into daily routines.
- Nudging and Reminding: The platform provides timely nudges and reminders to keep users on track. These gentle prompts help maintain focus and motivation, even when things get busy.
- Tracking Progress: Actionable allows users to track their progress and see how far they have come. This visual record of their journey provides a sense of accomplishment and reinforces their commitment to change.
- Social Support: The platform also fosters a sense of community and support through features like accountability buddies and facilitator feedback. This social element helps users stay motivated and connected throughout their change journey.
“The whole point to all of this is that we’re now developing a visual record of how each individual and cohort is progressing. What are they working on? How’s it going? What’s getting in the way? Where are they having wins? And then that informs the conversation with the client.”
Key Features and Tools
- Habit Builder: This tool helps users establish and maintain new habits through personalized prompts, reminders, and progress tracking.
- Leader-Led Conversations: These facilitated discussions provide a space for teams to explore and apply new concepts together, fostering deeper understanding and commitment.
- Impact Value Chain: This model helps organizations link learning interventions to strategic priorities, demonstrating the value and impact of their training programs.
- Power Commenting: This feature allows facilitators and coaches to provide personalized feedback and support to individuals or groups, enhancing the learning experience.
Benefits of Using Actionable
- Increased engagement and motivation
- Improved knowledge retention and application
- Enhanced accountability and follow-through
- Measurable behavior change and impact
- Stronger alignment between learning and organizational goals
Whether you are looking to make a personal change or drive behavior change across your organization, the Actionable platform provides the tools and support you need to succeed.
“Even though we had the intention in the room, it’s really easy to lose track of that over the course of the week. The habit builder helps keep it [change initiatives] top of mind”
Key Insight: Actionable moves beyond traditional learning management systems by focusing on the daily application of knowledge and skills to drive real behavior change.
Strategy: The platform uses a combination of intention setting, habit building, nudges, progress tracking, and social support to facilitate lasting change.
Impact: Actionable helps individuals and organizations bridge the gap between learning and doing, resulting in increased engagement, improved knowledge retention, and measurable behavior change.
The Impact Value Chain: Linking Learning to Strategic Priorities
It is not enough to simply deliver training programs. Organizations need to ensure that their learning interventions are directly linked to their strategic priorities and drive measurable behavior change that contributes to the bottom line. This is where the Impact Value Chain comes in.
Chris’ Impact Value Chain is a framework that helps organizations connect learning to real-world impact. It provides a clear roadmap for measuring and demonstrating the value of training programs, ensuring that they are aligned with the organization’s overall goals.
The Four Stages of the Impact Value Chain
- Strategic Priorities: This is the starting point. It involves identifying the organization’s overarching goals and objectives. For example, a company might prioritize increasing customer satisfaction or improving operational efficiency.
- Skills and Cultural Norms: To achieve those strategic priorities, what skills, competencies, and cultural shifts are needed within the organization? This might involve things like improved communication, stronger leadership, or a greater focus on innovation.
- Behaviors: This is where the rubber meets the road. What specific actions and behaviors need to change at the individual and team level to develop those skills and embody those cultural norms?
- Learning Intervention: This is the final stage, where targeted training and development programs are designed and delivered to support the necessary behavior changes. This could include workshops, coaching sessions, online courses, or a blended learning approach.
The key takeaway is that these four stages are interconnected. Effective learning interventions should be designed with the strategic priorities in mind, and measurement should track progress from the intervention back to its impact on those priorities.
How Actionable Helps Measure and Demonstrate Impact
- The platform gathers data on learner engagement, knowledge retention, and application of skills.
- Actionable allows organizations to track the progress of individuals and teams towards their behavior change goals.
- The platform provides tools for measuring the impact of learning interventions on key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Actionable generates reports and analytics that demonstrate the value of training programs to stakeholders.
Organizations can move beyond simply delivering training to driving real, measurable behavior change that contributes to their success. This not only helps justify the investment in training but also ensures that learning is truly aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities.
Key Insight: Training programs should be strategically linked to business priorities to drive measurable behavior change and impact the bottom line.
Strategy: The Impact Value Chain provides a framework for connecting learning interventions to strategic priorities, measuring their impact, and demonstrating their value to the organization.
Impact: By using the Impact Value Chain, organizations can ensure that training programs are aligned with their overall goals and contribute to their success.
“There is, in our experience, no faster, more consistently reliable way for individuals to get to a personal why than through conversation.”
Effective Strategies for Building New Habits
Now that we have a better understanding of the science behind behavior change, Chris introduces us to some practical strategies for building new, positive habits.
Start Small and Specific
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to change their behavior is setting overly ambitious goals. While it is great to aim high, starting with small, specific changes is crucial for long-term success.
Instead of trying to overhaul your entire diet overnight, for example, start by adding one serving of fruits or vegetables to your daily meals. Or, if you want to start exercising regularly, begin with a 10-minute walk three times a week.
By breaking down complex behaviors into smaller, more manageable steps, you make the process less daunting and increase your chances of sticking with it.
Identify Your Triggers
Cues or triggers play a significant role in initiating habits. To build new habits, you need to identify the triggers that will prompt your desired behaviors.
For example, if you want to develop a habit of drinking more water, you might place a water bottle on your desk as a visual cue. Or, if you want to start meditating daily, you could set a reminder on your phone for a specific time each day.
By consciously associating your desired behaviors with specific triggers, you can make it easier to initiate and maintain those habits.
Create a Plan and Stick to It
Developing new habits requires intentionality and commitment. Creating a clear action plan can help you stay focused and motivated.
Your plan should include:
- Specific Goals: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
- Timeline: Set realistic deadlines for reaching your goals.
- Strategies: Outline the steps you will take to implement your new habits.
- Obstacles: Anticipate potential challenges and develop strategies for overcoming them.
Once you have a plan in place, it is important to stick to it as consistently as possible. Remember that consistency is key to forming lasting habits.
Overcoming Obstacles to Behavior Change
“What your client is buying is impact. And I think this is important for consultant and buyer alike to realign to the fact that the purpose of this program is to drive change.”
Even with the best intentions and a supportive platform like Actionable, behavior change is rarely a smooth, linear process. We all face obstacles and setbacks along the way. The key is to anticipate these challenges and develop strategies to overcome them. Some common obstacles are:
- Lack of Motivation: It is easy to get excited about a new goal at the start, but maintaining that motivation over time can be tough.
- Procrastination: Putting things off is a common enemy of behavior change. We often find excuses to delay starting or to skip a day (or two, or three…).
- Fear of Failure: The fear of not succeeding can hold us back from even trying. We may worry about what others will think or feel discouraged if we do not see immediate results.
- Lack of Support: Changing our behavior can feel isolating, especially if we are surrounded by people who do not share our goals.
- Environmental Factors: Our surroundings can either support or sabotage our efforts. A chaotic environment, for example, can make it difficult to establish new routines.
The Importance of Mindset and Motivation
While you may be provided with valuable tools and support, it is important to remember that behavior change ultimately comes from within. Cultivating a growth mindset, believing in our ability to change, and focusing on our “why” are essential for overcoming obstacles and achieving lasting change.
There is a wealth of information available on the topic of behavior change. Reading books and articles can provide you with valuable insights, strategies, and inspiration.
Some recommended reads include:
- Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Explore different authors and approaches to find resources that resonate with you. By combining the right tools with a positive mindset and a strong sense of purpose, we can overcome the challenges that inevitably arise on the path to behavior change and create a life that is more aligned with our values and goals.
Key Insight: Successfully building new habits requires a strategic approach that involves setting realistic goals, identifying triggers, creating a plan, and staying consistent.
Strategy: When setting new habits, start small and specific, identify triggers to associate with desired behaviors, and create a clear action plan with specific goals, timelines, and strategies for overcoming obstacles.
Impact: Implementing these strategies increases motivation, consistency, and the formation of lasting habits that contribute to personal and professional growth.
Taking Action for Lasting Change
Behavior change is not a destination; it is a journey. An ongoing process of learning, adapting, and striving for continuous improvement. If you are ready to embark your team on this journey and transform your organization, contact us today to discuss how we can help you achieve your desired outcomes and create a better future.
We can help you:
- Identify the specific behaviors that need to change to achieve your organizational goals.
- Develop a tailored plan to address those behaviors, leveraging the Actionable platform’s powerful tools and features.
- Facilitate leader-led conversations to reinforce learning and drive behavior change at the team level.
- Measure the impact of your efforts and demonstrate the value of behavior change to your organization.
Schedule a discovery call at uniquedevelopment.com and learn how we can help you create a more engaged, productive, and successful organization through lasting behavior change.
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