Are You Still Relying On Your Willpower Alone?

 Profile image of Steve Lobley From Spring Leadership

Steve Lobley

I remember always being curious why business leaders and their businesses didn’t grow and develop as effectively as they could – and in line with their stated ambitions. It was a great puzzle – despite knowing exactly what to do, nine times out of ten they couldn’t make the changes needed or make the right decisions to truly achieve the step changes required. It led me to the mantra from the Chinese Proverb ‘it’s not the knowing that’s difficult, it’s the doing’ – because THAT is really what it’s all about after all…

And as a result I reshaped my career from business adviser and mentor to launch myself fully into the world of coaching. My 30+ years in business from a shift manager in a textile mill to MD of a £15M business in the corporate world allowed me a unique perspective on the challenges people were facing, and with loads of experience on how to address them. 

How often have you set yourself a goal that requires a consistent change in your behaviour, and then floundered once the initial willpower has worn off?

This could be something you’re trying to do personally: ‘I want to run a marathon by December’, or professionally: ‘I want to stop problem-solving and be a coach to my team.’

We’re always interested in ways you can create consistent behaviour change over the long term – and we’ve found BJ Fogg has a great system to create good habits (which has nothing to do with using your iron will!)

Check out this TED talk and let us know which habit you’ll be working on first.