Drawn from experiences of people who have succeeded in sustaining behavioral change, this note provides guidelines to enable individuals sustain changes in specific aspects of their behavior that they commit to.

1. Change that Lasts l Part 2 of the 2 part series
Sustaining Change at the Individual Level: Initiatives that are specific to an individual by
M.P. Sriram, Partner, Aventus Partners
We all go through periods of introspection which results in a commitment to change some
aspects of our behavior.
You could be trying to be “present ”during critical conversations, trying to improve your levels of
patience with team members/peers who don’t measure up to “your standards”, fully empathize
with your stakeholders or you could be trying to control your tendency to get anxious when
things don’t go as planned.
In organizational settings this commitment to change is typically inspired by someone who is
interested in your well- being, or triggered by an organizational feedback process involving your
Manager, Coach, Mentor, Peer or a team member (as one is beginning to see more often
nowadays).

2. Development discussions are held; frameworks used, plans chalked out and review mechanisms
agreed upon in true earnest. Having been part of these discussions in different contexts here are
my learning’s from the occasions when one has seen people succeed in sustaining the desired
change in their own behavior.
1. Focus on the one Behavior that is Most Critical at that given point of time. When it comes to
changing our behaviors I have learned that the old maxim “take one step at a time “works
wonders. In our enthusiasm and desire to move up the competence scale we start working on
trying to change 3-4 behaviors at a time. Do not try to change too many things at the same time.
Pick on the one behavior that is most critical and “Resolve” – Make a commitment to yourself to
change that one behavior within a defined time frame. Let’s say “You want to be fully present
during the conversations that you have with your team members and peers”. You resolve that
this will be your focus area for change over the next 6 months and will ensure that in this period
you will be fully present in all conversations that you have.
2. List down all the potential situations that typically occur in your day to day work life, when
you need to exercise a choice in trying to change the way you behave. E.g. While trying to
remain present, you could be faced with a scenario where you are working on a critical report
that needs to go out in the next one hour and a team member comes to discuss an altercation he
has had with a member of another function. Will you try listening to what he is saying, while in
parallel working on the report (as you have often done in the past) or pause to understand why
and what he wants to talk about, tell him why you can’t have the conversation right now and
schedule a convenient time.
Pen down all these situations along with your current behavior and the desired behaviour.
Visualize how you would behave differently in these situations.
Awareness of the moments when you need to make a choice and choices you can exercise in
demonstrating the desired behaviour is half the way towards success. These are your
“Moments of Truth”.

3. 3. Make a commitment to someone whose opinion about you, matters to you (Significant Other),
about your intent to change. Share with them the context and the choices that you have
articulated for yourself. Every time you regress into your old ways of working, have a
conversation with the Significant Other. Their encouragement and support will help you
overcome negative feelings like guilt, inadequacy to change, that might arise within you when
you regress. The Significant Other can be either someone at work, at home or even someone in
your social circle. What’s material is their ability to understand you and your contexts.
4. Do not be harsh on yourself. Initially it could feel like one step forward and two steps
backwards. There will be many a time when you unconsciously slip back into the old ways of
acting and behaving. Remember: Old habits die hard.
At the end of each day, take a few minutes to mentally review the “Moments of truth” and how
you proactively behaved in these moments. Celebrate your successes. Share them, discuss them
with your Significant Other.
At the start of a new day remind yourself of the successes you have had over the past few
days/weeks, however few they might be. This will strengthen your self- belief.
And as the days roll by, you will notice that the frequency of regressing into old ways of acting
and behaving has reduced and the new way has slowly but surely become a “habit” and then
you know it’s time to embark on your next behavioral adventure.
Part 1: Sustaining Change at an Organizational Level: Initiatives that impact a group of
people