Obehi Alofoje, a psychologist and behavioral change expert, and Kerri O’Neill, Chief People Officer at Ipsos UK, share insights on sustainable workplace habits. They discuss why traditional New Year's resolutions often fail and stress creating actionable, specific goals instead. The conversation highlights the importance of focusing on three key priorities for effectiveness, the role of community in enhancing workplace culture, and the need for measurable success indicators. Discover how small, consistent steps can lead to substantial long-term achievements.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Failed Fitness Resolutions
Kerry O'Neill shared her recurring New Year's resolution failure.
She sets ambitious daily exercise goals like running or spinning, but never achieves them.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Tennis Resolution Failure
Obehi Alofoje discusses her failed resolution to play tennis regularly after moving.
She attributes the failure to decreased motivation, a disrupted habit, and anxiety about making new friends at a new club.
insights INSIGHT
Motivation and Goal Clarity
New Year's resolutions often fail due to overly ambitious goals and unclear motivations.
Understanding the "why" behind a goal is crucial for success, as exemplified by differing motivations for weight loss.
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Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth[2][4][5].
Immunity to change
How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization
Lisa Laskow Lahey
Robert Kegan
This book by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey explores the concept of 'immunity to change,' which refers to the subconscious resistance people have to making significant changes, even when those changes are clearly beneficial. The authors introduce a practical framework, the 'Immunity to Change Map,' to help individuals and organizations identify and overcome hidden commitments and big assumptions that prevent change. The book emphasizes the importance of mindset transformation and adaptive improvement over mere technical skill development, providing tools and case studies to facilitate lasting personal and organizational change.
New Year’s resolutions fail. Surprised? Probably not. But is the high failure rate a reason to avoid setting goals – especially in our professional lives? Behavioural science would argue ‘failure’ isn’t down to a lack of will power, but rather a reliance on vague goals without the structure of actionable habits. So are small, consistent actions that drive meaningful change and support long-term achievement, really the stepping stone to bridge the gap between intention and success?
Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Psychologist and Director at Aurora, Obehi Alofoje; and Chief People Officer at Ipsos UK, Kerri O’Neill, as we dive into the psychology behind cultivating meaningful and sustained workplace goals. Additionally, we explore why building habits is a more effective path to success than traditional goal setting.
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