If you figure it out or if someone tells you that something in your behavior is getting in the way of your progress and you decide that it’s time to address that behavior, there are a few things you should know about behavioral change.
The behavior that is getting in the way of your progress likely didn’t start yesterday. Therefore, fixing a negative behavior isn’t going to happen as soon as tomorrow. Most human behaviors are deeply ingrained because we’ve been practicing our bad behaviors for a long time.
The idea of changing human behavior is possible and frequently very fruitful but it is also one of the most difficult endeavors a person can take on. The behavior that is deeply ingrained and practiced will take time to unravel and to improve.
Anyone who is serious about changing behaviors that might be holding back their progress can change their behavior. There is no magic wand or pixie dust available to facilitate human behavioral change. A properly trained emotional intelligence coach can assist his / her client in making positive change and the benefits of doing so can be priceless.
What does changing human behavior look like? Here are just a few examples.
Impulse Control
The smartest person in the room frequently has the impulse to let others know how smart they are. Learning how to control this impulse and adding a scoop of humility can do wonders for this person’s personal and professional progress. Impulse Control is an Emotional Intelligence skill that can be improved upon.
Listening
It has been said that most people listen in order to determine how best to formulate what they’re going to say next. In other words, they aren’t really listening to actually hear and understand what someone else has to say. They're listening to build their speaking strategy.
A different listening approach would be to listen with the intention of understanding the person who is speaking. This change in approach can radically change the results of a conversation.
Winning Too Much
Many people who in leadership roles are highly competitive people who need to win all the time. The down-side of being wired like this is the tendency for such a person to step in and give his / her team the answers to a problem. By simply (not so simple for this person) stepping back and allowing one’s team to formulate an answer to a problem, a highly competitive, win at all costs type of leader can dramatically boost his / her team’s willingness to contribute to problem solving in the future.
People who consider how their behavior impacts the audience around them and people who strive to achieve balance in their behavior are the people who will achieve the most desirable results in all facets of life. This is simple to say and very difficult to achieve.
As difficult as it is to achieve behavioral change, the results of changing negative behavior can be priceless.
