How to Break Old Leadership Habits: The Power Loop Method
Be honest. Sometimes, as a leader, you find yourself doing things you know aren't the best idea. Like leaving an important task right until the last minute because you "work better under stress." Or the endless hours spent researching a solution only to land back on your first idea. Or taking on extra work to keep everyone happy, only to drown under the volume and start missing deadlines. We're creatures of habit. So what do we do when those habits start to hold us back?
Why leadership habits are so hard to break
At Lea_p, we came up with the Power Loop method because we saw these behaviours (and more) in ourselves, and we saw how often we repeated them. Even when we'd had feedback about how destructive they were. Even when we'd promised ourselves we'd do better. The Power Loop has become our way out of the patterns that keep us stuck. It can be tough, but we know it works. Here's how it goes.
The Power Loop: four steps to change
LEARN
Before you can do anything else, you need to learn what your patterns are. Take a weekly inventory of what worked that week and what was difficult. Over time, patterns show up. Or, if you prefer a more direct approach, ask others for feedback: "what do you see me repeatedly doing that isn't working?" It takes a bit of bravery, but others can often see the things we're blind to.
OBSERVE
Next, understand where the pattern shows up. What triggers it? What's your instinctive reaction (clue: it's always an emotion) and what's the behaviour that follows? Once you can readily identify the TRIGGER, REACTION and BEHAVIOUR, you're ready for the next step.
OWN
Here's the funny thing about change: it doesn't happen unless we can first admit that where we are right now is both unacceptable and of our own making. We have to own how we've contributed to the patterns we're stuck in, and own that we're ready for change. This takes humility and a lot of honesty. If you're still blaming everyone else, you're not really owning your part, and you won't change it.
PRACTICE
This is the fun bit. When we own how we're contributing to our Inertia Loops, something opens up: a whole range of possibilities for different behaviour. Ideas we wouldn't have dreamed of before suddenly become available. This is where you commit to doing something differently. What happens when you don't default back to your inertia loop and instead try something new? What's the response? What do you learn? It doesn't have to be a total success. Simply by doing something new, you're rewiring your brain and creating a new way to lead.
