Into a New Groove

Are you in a ‘rut’?  Do you find yourself doing the same thing over and over…and wondering why your results are the same?  Do you sometimes feel like you are getting in your own way?  Are you ready to move into a new groove?

 

Well, even if you weren’t born in the 70’s, a ‘new groove’ might be just the thing you need to help you GROW this year!

 

Your personal patterns and programs are deeply ingrained within you.  They are so ingrained that many of them have become deep, unproductive ruts, and you find yourself thinking, feeling, and behaving in the same way…over and over!  The patterns have become automatic, and you feel like you are not consciously deciding to think the thoughts you are thinking or consciously deciding to do the things you are doing; the thoughts and actions seem to just happen all by themselves.

 

Well, there’s good new!  Just as your present patterns and programs were once learned, you can learn new patterns and programs too!  Why not take the opportunity to move out of your unproductive ruts, and move into a new groove?

 

Okay, this is where the work comes in.  Yes, there has to be a little work – but the rewards are well worth the investment!

 

To GROW Your Groove, you need to:

1)      Get a Grip;

2)      Refocus and Rephrase;

3)      Opt for Ownership; and

4)      Wait and Watch!

 

Get a Grip:

Begin by attending to those patterns that are getting in your way, that are limiting you.  Perhaps your regular department meetings have become a dreaded event for you.  You find the meetings long and boring, and you feel resentful and impatient about having to spend valuable work time in a seemingly ‘counter-productive’ way.    You find that you have no energy in the meeting and you can’t wait for the meeting to be over.  You believe it is a waste of time.  After each meeting, you feel exhausted and frustrated!

 

Refocus and Rephrase:

Next, decide what you WANT, and focus on that rather than focusing on what you don’t want.  Rephrase your internal dialogue.  You might, for example, replace the ‘I hate these meetings.  They are long and boring.’ message with the ‘I want to take what I can out of this meeting, and I want to be energized and happy when I get back to my desk’ message. 

 

Opt for Ownership:

Follow your refocus with deciding to ‘own’ the experience.  You know there is only one thing you control in this world (yup, that’d be ‘you’!)  You know that you are the one who can create the experience you WANT (and, you are the only one who can move away from the experience you don’t want).  So, decide what you can DO so that you take what you can out of the meeting, and so that you can stay energized and happy. 

 

For example, you might decide that you can:

Ø      read over the agenda and prepare for the meeting ahead of time

Ø      confirm the start and end time for the meeting

Ø      reinforce with the chair that you look forward to an efficient and productive meeting

Ø      check out who else will be there and decide to connect with someone new

Ø      visualize:

ü      the meeting running smoothly and efficiently (how are you behaving?; how are others behaving?)

ü      yourself as an energized and happy meeting attendee

ü      leaving the meeting looking energized and happy as you head back to your desk

Ø      send your input ahead of time to the meeting chair

Ø      arrive early and chat with someone you haven’t seen in awhile (who happens to be positive!)

Ø      focus on the meeting when it starts and contribute fully where appropriate

Ø      offer to be timekeeper to keep the meeting on track

Ø      offer positive comments to others who are in the meeting and adding their input

Ø      drink lots of water (or another great, energizing beverage)

 

Wait and Watch:

Finally, wait and watch, as your energy and perspective begin to shift.  Notice how differently you feel, and how differently the meeting seems to you.  Pay attention to others around you.  As your experience begins to change, what is happening to them?  As you think differently, you begin to feel differently, and you begin to behave differently.  Savor and enjoy the shift!

 

You do not have to be a victim to the personal programs (ruts) that keep you stuck in unproductive thoughts, feelings and behaviours.  You can choose to create new patterns for success.  You can move into a new groove!  So, remember to GROW Your Groove, and:

Get a Grip!

Refocus and Rephrase

Opt for Ownership

Wait and Watch

Leg warmers.  I remember them from the first time they were in fashion in the early 80’s, and just last week, a young woman wore them to my workshop.  It reminded me of the importance of remembering that what is old, is new again.  With these times of continuous change, you might find yourself continually thinking about doing things in a new way, in a different way.  Don’t forget about the things you used to do, and why they worked when they worked!

For example, I was hired by a client to deliver their training program, already designed by them.  Even the ‘introductions’ exercise was designed.  When I read the description, I thought to myself ‘that is SO 80’s!’  The introductions exercise was the one where participants pair up, interview each other and then introduce each other.  We used to do that regularly in the 80’s and I was sure that people might judge the course as a whole as being out of date, since this exercise was a relic from an earlier time.  I ended up being surprised and very pleased with the results.  The introductions were long and very complimentary ‘I am honoured to introduce you to Jane, a talented accouting manager….’, and of course, we learned a lot more about each person than we would have had they introduced themselves.  There was something else that happened that day.  The exercise was a huge reminder of the importance of taking time to connect interpersonally, to really listen to another person.  In today’s workplace this is a very rare occurrence.  We are stressed, time crunched, and communicate via email.  As a group, we talked about how this ’old’ way of communicating (actually getting up and connecting face to face) is new again…and, in fact, contributes to our personal effectiveness (our results are better, and our relationships are more functional).  The organization also benefits - even though communication takes longer, the results last longer.  The communicators are healthier too, benefiting from the clarity that comes form an acutal dialogue with another person.   

So, the next time you are looking to increase your effectiveness and you are seeking some innovative, new way to do that….remember what you used to do…remember that what is old can be new again…remember that sometimes your new groove is your old groove revisited.