Habituation

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Is it helpful or harmful? How to recognize it in ourselves and our teams.

My daughter gave me this poster, saying that it reminded her of one of the values I instilled in her. Very touching.

This framed picture – gifted to me by my daughter – inspired me every time I sat at my desk – until I stopped noticing it and it became just another part of the woodwork.

This is something called habituation, a fundamental learning mechanism that can be both helpful and potentially harmful, depending on the context. Understanding how it works and recognizing its effects can be valuable for personal growth and team leadership.

Habituation allows us to filter out irrelevant information and focus on what’s required in the moment. This cognitive efficiency is crucial in our information-rich environment, helping us allocate our limited processing resources more effectively. It reduces stress by reducing our response to repeated, non-threatening stimuli.

One drawback though, is that extraordinary things around us get unnoticed over time. The beauty of a sunset or a star-lit night becomes commonplace. Inspiring quotes become wall hangings. The incredible strengths of the people on our team become ordinary. The qualities we once prized in another are now dull, unnoticed, and mundane.

While becoming cognitively efficient, complacency can set in and the beauty and meaning of life can be missed.

Ask yourself, “How can I s-l-o-w d-o-w-n and be present to the magnificence around me that I might be missing in my hurried, demanding life?”

We are clever people, efficient and high-powered, but in our zeal to get things done, we can forget the simple art of living. Let’s resolve to be mindful and attentive today to the splendor around us that has become ordinary.

What are signs that you have become a lazy leader?

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I don’t think anyone intentionally sets out to be lazy. But sometimes we get so overwhelmed that we crash. Like when you have so many things on your to-do list you just sit in front of the tv and check out. This isn’t a problem once in a while, but when it becomes a habitual way of handling stress it’s cause for concern.

AI lists signs of lazy leadership that, on the surface, look like lazy leaders, but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll likely find burnout, exhaustion, and poor time management are behind them:

  1. Apathy and Indifference
  2. Lack of Direction
  3. Passive Approach to Problems
  4. Disorganization
  5. Vague Standards and Expectations
  6. Resistance to Change
  7. Hiding in your Office
  8. Endlessly browsing the Internet during work hours
  9. Avoiding Accountability, Blaming, Gossiping, and Finger Pointing

By being aware of these signs, you can take proactive steps to step up your focus, clarify the boundaries you’ve been compromising, say no to the wrong demands, and craft a new strategy. This ensures that you renew your engagement and effectively guide your team towards revitalized success.

All setbacks are opportunities to learn and emerge a better person and a better leader.

hashtag#leadership hashtag#authenticity hashtag#growth

Sweat For A Vet

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This week SLS Centre in Cochrane hosted another successful Sweat For A Vet event. All who came had fun and a great workout sweating for our vets.

Thanks to Jeff Genung, Cochrane’s mayor, who supports Wayfinders Wellness Society, and the fire fighters and police officers who showed up. Thanks to the SLS team who made this a success. And thanks to everyone who came out and put your hearts and bodies into a great workout.

Building a Bucket List Board: Inspire Your Team With What Matters

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One of the most rewarding parts of my business is the quality of the leaders I meet. One of these leaders is Dean Koeller, CEO of Calvert Home Mortgage Investment Corporation. Mentored and encouraged by his father to build an organization that truly cares, it’s inspiring to walk into his workplace. Invigorating and welcoming, you’ll find his team engaged in lively conversations, sharing ideas and laughter. There is a palpable sense of community. This atmosphere not only inspires productivity, it makes employees feel valued and connected to one another, ultimately cultivating a strong sense of belonging within the organization and a commitment to serve their clients and their community in the same way.

When I asked for an example of how he cultivates such an incredible culture, Dean took me into the lunchroom and introduced me to the Calvert Team Bucket List. Every team member is encouraged to post on the board a project they are pursuing – away from work – that matters to them. You see people climbing mountains, preparing for triathlons, traveling to amazing places, going up in balloons, and visiting grandchildren. You learn what challenges people, inspires people, and is important to them. You learn why people come to work. You learn things that many individuals, hidden behind office doors and computer screens, may work together for years and never know.

Three things I learned about leadership from Dean:

  1. Caring is everything. Dean didn’t do this as a “leadership technique.” Everything Dean does comes from his heart. It’s who he is. Caring is at the core of everything in his organization. He genuinely wants to know people better and the bucket list board is a way to learn about them and celebrate who they are.
  2. Recognizing what matters to people matters. Creating a space to acknowledge what’s important to your team in a unique and authentic way connects people and transforms a company into a community. And a community is a safe place for people to be who they are and be inspired to bring the best of who they are to what they do.
  3. What you give will come back to you – multiplied. Whether you’re celebrating what matters or simply taking the time to listen to and value people, your team will give it their all to build a successful organization when they know you’re giving your all to them. Loyalty, trust, and a commitment to service don’t come from expecting. They come from giving.

The Calvert Team Bucket List Board is an example of a unique method for building a caring culture and it goes a long way in creating psychological safety in his organization. Psychological safety is a crucial element for fostering high-performing teams and innovative work environments. People need to feel safe to express their ideas, admit mistakes, and challenge the status quo without fear of negative repercussions. People need to know it’s expected that they will be who they are. Psychological safety abounds in Dean’s organization and his team thrives as a result.

Why don’t people like change?

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How do you get to the root of resistance and help your teams embrace change?

Resistance to change is complex and influenced by many factors such as:

  • Lack of control
  • Fear of the unknown
  • Lack of awareness and communication
  • Attachment to old habits and routine

How to help your team embrace change:

  1. Communicate your why. When initiating change, give people a clear rationale and vision. You may not know how you’re going to get there, but people need to know where you’re going and why you’re asking them for change.
  2. Welcome resistance. Resistance simply means that you are alive. Even insects squirm when you poke them. Listen to the resistance. Resistance is a necessary part of change. Don’t take resistance personally. Welcome it.
  3. Turn resistance into honesty. When people feel safe to be honest, resistance turns into emotions like loss, fear, and uncertainty. People need to grieve before they rebuild. When people genuinely feel supported through resistance, you’ll build community, creativity, and a commitment to embrace new possibilities.

I love Halloween.

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I love going to a party wearing a mask so people don’t know who you are. I would even dress up when I took our daughters trick or treating. It’s a blast being incognito.

However, when we unintentionally wear masks to protect ourselves we present a curated version of ourselves to the world, hiding our true self. We can identify so strongly with the mask – the calm mask, the humor mask, the overachiever mask, the accountable mask, the perfectionistic mask, the people-pleasing mask – that we aren’t even aware we are wearing one or who our real self is any longer.

While they serve important protective functions, prolonged masking can take a toll on our mental health. Suppressing true emotions can lead to anger, rage, depression, and disease in the body. It’s exhausting and isolating.

So have fun wearing masks this Halloween. Just be sure you choose to wear them and know when to take them off and reveal the real you.