Starting a Good Habit While Ending a Bad One As cars, technology and clients evolve, so must we. The adage of “It’s the way things have always been done” needs to be eliminated. It can be difficult to begin a new habit or a new way of doing business. It can be equally difficult to end an old one. A good thing about a habit is that you can do it without thinking. A bad thing about a habit is that you do things without thinking. However, as with most things in business and in life, consistency is key. The book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear states, “Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years. Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” True change only happens when the desired habit, outcome or KPI we are looking for is congruent with the individual’s personality. Suppose you’re an advisor who loves multitasking, helping people or being busy, but your open RO list is staggeringly long, or you have communication issues with your clients. In that case, you’ve prioritized accomplishment over administration. Long-lasting, good habits will never stick by simply adding a new goal or objective to hit. It will ultimately miss because you have not attempted to change who you are. You are treating the symptom without addressing the cause. You make all advisors clean up their messy desks, only to have them right back to where they were days later. To truly motivate others, and ourselves, we need to make the new habit part of our identity, not something forced upon us. You can create real, positive change when you decide not to be “this,” but instead say internally, “I am this.” Easier said than done. We are not trying to get overly philosophical here. However, there are ways to change our basic motivation beyond just the stick or the carrot. If you haven’t already, a great way to face reality and get the most out of yourself is to find out what inspires, motivates, leads and guides you. It can be difficult to admit this. We are confined only by the walls we put up for ourselves. One of the best ways to knock down these walls is through self-reflection, and a great way to perform this is by filling out a Predictive Index (PI) test. This will help uncover a person’s strengths, weaknesses and predictions about their current and future behaviors. Since people don’t come with an owner’s manual, how to motivate and lead depends greatly on the leader, not just the person. When the personality traits say: • I’m nervous to show the menu. • I don’t have the confidence to overcome objections. • I’m always late. • I’m uncomfortable with confrontation. • I would not be able to afford it. • I’m bad at remembering names or calling people back. These statements, once they’ve become persistent bad habits, are now etched into a person’s identity. The individual internally believes that this is who they are By Ryan Anzalone, Ethos Group SCAN THE QR CODE FOR AUDIO. 31 Illinois Automobile Dealer News
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