Snow Ball Effect

In many ways, the first small steps you take to change your behavior are the most important. Once you initiate change, it seems to feed on itself, as two psychological triggers are at work:

a.    More exposure effect: The more you are exposed to something, the more you like it. Initially unwelcome change efforts will gradually be perceived more favorably as people get used to them.

b.    Cognitive dissonance: Once people take small steps, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to dislike how they act. We don’t like to act in one way and think in another. And once we begin to behave differently, our self-perception changes and our identity evolves, which reinforces our new approach.

This is what is called ‘the snowball effect’. Changes just seem to take off. They are the result of “small wins” but, not always. Rather, they are automatic forces that kick in as time passes.

It’s therefore essential to start as soon as possible and take advantage of the momentum.

While inertia and the status quo may exert an irresistible pull, at this point you need to muster the courage and just do it. Just get it started.

Ah, yes, but that’s the problem, isn’t it? The status quo feels comfortable and steady because much of our thinking is on autopilot. Routines feel good to us because it frees up our brain for other things, especially creative thinking.

What really helps me to get started when I want to change a behavior is to become aware of how much I am on autopilot. Having routines can be a time-saver since we don’t have to make choices, we just do it. But it’s also what creates rut and stagnation.

It actually irks me to be a slave to my habits (just the ones I don’t like). I tell myself, “Who’s in charge here, the autopilot or me?” If I am more powerful than that, I will actually feel energized by breaking the routine to do something new.

Your first attempt doesn’t have to be perfect or complete. At some point, inertia will shift from resisting change to supporting it, and small changes will snowball into big changes.

But it’s that first effort to say, “No, I am not going to eat that over sized portion on my plate,” that builds the momentum. At the next meal, you become aware of how restaurants over serve their portions (here in the USA), and you start cutting down meal sizes.

·        It’s that first time you respond with a smile to someone who pushes your buttons.

·        It’s when you stop yourself from explaining everything and ask a question instead.

·        It’s when you stop telling yourself you are tired and start asking how you can re-energize your tasks.

When I stop looking for how I can cut corners and make my work flow a routine, and start looking for creative ways to make a difference in the world, then I become more of a change agent.

It starts with the first snowball, and I am the one who has to set it in motion. Then it becomes fun to watch it grow and gather momentum.

What has been your experience when you want to change something?

Thinking 'Out-of-The-Box'

How many times have you been advised to "think-out-of-the-box"?

How many times have you wondered why you are unable to "think-out-of-the-box" more often?

We are all products of our environment and our backgrounds usually prevent us from viewing situations with the unique eyes of our personal experience.

However, successful leaders who think "out-of-the-proverbial-box" do so by applying their own kinds of action-oriented logic to problems to help them find new wisdom; discover opportunities or see the facts in different ways.

In short, truly creative types act differently, in ways that can be called "Logical Action-Steps". You can multiply your creativity and creative leadership skills just by applying these strategies to all of your problems, situations and decisions.

Logical Action-Step One: Achieve Understanding not Mere Reasoning

You want to find the basic or underlying meanings of the problems facing your group. You could reason-out what is happening, by using your linear thinking skills to negotiate, analyze or plan your response. 

Creative thinkers would aggressively investigate by:

- Intensely searching for answers,

- Through disillusioning or transforming their pre-conceptions,

- Looking within, around and beneath the conditions,

- Recognizing and deeply understanding their core assumptions

Logical Action-Step Two: Seek the Strategist's Viewpoint

If you're like most knowledge-workers, you probably have a fairly extensive network of friends, colleagues, and associates. Your social network has been built over time through your individual experiences, efforts and encounters.

Strategists release the latent energies of their social networks through collaborative inquiries into finding new solutions, handling challenges and exploiting opportunities for transformation. Thus by being the strategist you actively look for ways to create, leverage and extend synergy throughout your group.

You would want to set-up an environment or atmosphere of synergism where your team interacts and has processes or policies which encourage interactions in such a way that the total impact of the group's efforts add up to be more than the mere sum of their individual contributions.

Logical Action-Step Three: Engage in First-Person Research

Creative leaders make it a point to evaluate the progress of their own personal development - such as, the stages of growth and the legitimacy of each stage; they also assess their behavior and preferences.

Do you regularly or completely write down or record your thoughts, feelings and ideas? How much effort do you devote to keeping a journal, a diary or notes on your inner self?

Are you the type of person who looks for and analyzes the contradictory desires inside yourself or do you tend to notice a distinction between your desires and intentions?

What do you use to practice consciousness development or strengthening activities? In what ways do you structure your time to engage in meditation, martial arts, crafts or improvisational theater kinds of activities?

Logical Action-Step Four: Empower Their Shifts to Change

You can add power to your group through practicing techniques which enable people to discover the ideas, approaches and solutions hidden within them.

Effective leaders transform interpersonal activities into creative exercises. They orient their followers to focus on reflecting, learning, thinking, questioning, resolving, creating, discussing, debriefing, playing and interacting.

You would involve and join your stakeholders - partners, associates, peers, suppliers, constituents and others who might have a part or vested interest in your venture - to build a shared vision with as broad a group of your stakeholders as possible.

Logical Action-Step Five: Capitalize on Wise Synergism

Perhaps you have heard of the principle of master-mind - it's where two or more people harmonize their thinking around a specific project or problem for the express purpose of forming a mind that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Great inventors and leaders like Thomas Edison, George Washington, Alfred Nobel and many others used their mastermind groups to generate fantastic innovations, policies and achievements for all humankind.

You can leverage the collaborative activities of your team through the strategist's approach to leadership. You can expand the time horizon of your strategies to encompass a range from 3 to 21 years.

The benefits that strategic leaders provide is that their groups enjoy opportunities to:

- Share their reflections on your mission and vision

- Openly disclosure, support and confront any differences between the organization's and their personal values

- Conduct corporate and personal performance appraisals

- Creatively resolve paradoxes or contradictions in productivity versus inquiry, autonomy versus control, and quality versus quantity

- Interactively develop self-amending and self-correcting structures

"I am personally convinced that one person can be a change catalyst, a "transformer" in any situation, any organization. Such an individual is yeast that can leaven an entire loaf. It requires vision, initiative, patience, respect, persistence, courage, and faith to be a transforming leader."  - Stephen R. Covey

Are you ready to leverage, empower and energize your creative leadership? Are you willing to be that catalyst, agent of change or provocateur who inspires others to contribute to the growth of your organization?

Ensure the success of your team with the above five "Logical Action-Steps" - your teammates and organization will be so glad you did. Get out of the comfort zone and start implementing your logical action-steps. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further help in team development.

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Surya M Ganduri, PhD. PMP. is the founder and president of eMBC, Inc., an international firm specializing in strategic and executive leadership development processes that Help People Succeed in an Evolving World. His company is affiliated with Resource Associates Corporation, a network of 600+ associates that are dedicated to helping organizations and individuals manage strategic change, innovation, cultural transition, and goal achievement. Surya has over 26 years of business experience in management consulting, leadership development, executive coaching, process improvements, organizational development and youth leadership. Contact Surya at s6ganduri@eMBCinc.com. For more information, visit www.eMBCinc.com or contact eMBC, Inc., directly at (630) 445-1321.