Reinforcement: AnchoringYourNewLeadership Behaviors
ChrisPoyzer,MSW Executive&LeadershipCoach
ThePsychologyofLeadershipChange
WhenIhear"reinforcement,"Iautomaticallypicturethemicerunningmazesinmyoldpsychologyclasses thoselittlecreaturesworkingtirelesslyfortheirrewardasweincreasedtheincentive Humans,surprisingly,are notthatdifferent Wehavebehaviors,traits,andactionsthathavebeenpositivelyreinforcedsincechildhood(for adeepdiveintoyourownpsychologicalwiring,checkoutmy"GhostoftheC-Suite"exercise),aswellas negativepatternswehavepickedupalongtheway.
Key Insight:
"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior To change our future, we have to actively rewrite the script we're following today "
Chris Poyzer
Butthere'sauniquechallengehere manysuccessfulleaders,myselfincluded,haveachievedtheirsuccess despitehavingsignificantgaps I'vecoachedleaderswho'vequietlyadmitted,"Idon'tactuallyknowmuchabout strategy;I'mjustwingingit!"
TheReinforcementPhase
Inthereinforcementphaseofourcoachingworktogether,we'llspendtimestrengtheningyourexistingstrengths anddeterminingwhereyoucanleaninmoreeffectively.We'llalsoidentifywhichhabits,eventhosethatserved youwellinthepast,youmightneedtoretire.AsthelegendaryleadershipcoachMarshallGoldsmithfamously says,"Whatgotyouherewon'tgetyouthere"
WhyReinforcementMatters
Ifyou'relookingtoreinforcepositivechangesorrediscovercertainskillsandbehaviorstoelevateyour leadership,thisisexactlythearenawe'llbeexploringdeeplyinourcoachingjourneytogether
TheChallenge:Changingingrainedleadershipbehaviorsischallengingbecauseourbrainsnaturally defaulttofamiliarpaths especiallyunderstress.Leaderswhohaveachievedsignificantsuccessoften strugglethemost,asthestrengthsthatpropelledthemforwardcannowbecomeobstacles.
UnderstandingtheBehavioralChangeProcess
Yoururgency,ambition,andrelentlessdrive qualitiesthatfueledyourrise mayalsocreateblindspots,leading toimpatienceandfrustrationwhenimmediateresultsaren'tapparent
Successfulleadersoftenunderestimatehowdeeplycertainpatternsareembedded Simplyunderstandinganew behaviorintellectuallyisn'tenoughtoguaranteeitsadoption Thepsychologicalrealityisthatmeaningful behaviorchangerequirestime,intentionalpractice,andrepetition.Thegoalisn'timmediateperfection;it'ssteady progresstowardbehaviorsthatbecomeautomatic,evenunderpressure.
TheEmotionalJourneyofChange
UnderstandingYourChangePattern
Asyoupracticenewbehaviors,you'lllikelyexperiencearangeofemotions Let'smapyourtypical responsetochange:
Whenyou'relearningsomethingnew,whatemotionsdoyoutypicallyexperience?
Think about excitement, frustration, doubt, pride, vulnerability...
Howdoyoutypicallyrespondwhenprogressfeelsslow?
Reflection notes:
Therewillbedaysofnoticeableprogress,momentsofpride,andexcitement Butyou'llalsoencounterperiodsof frustration,vulnerability,anddoubt Theseemotionalswingsarenormalindicatorsofgrowth theyshowthat you'regenuinelyengagedinthework.
IdentifyingYourBlindSpots
Identifyingyourblindspotsiscrucialatthisstage Thesearethehiddenbeliefsandautomaticresponsesthat subtlysabotageprogress.Perhapsyou'veavoideddelegationduetoahiddenfearoflosingcontrol,ormaybe you'veresistedimprovinglisteningskillsbecausedeepdown,youfearappearinglessauthoritative.Becoming awareoftheseunderlyingissuesisoftenmoreimportantthanmerelyaddressingsurface-levelbehaviors
BlindSpotDiscoveryExercise:
WhatbehavioramIavoidingbecauseitmakesmeuncomfortable?
Be completely honest with yourself:
Whatbeliefaboutmyselforleadershipmightbefuelingthisavoidance?
What story am I telling myself about why I "can't" or "shouldn't" do this?
WhatwouldIgainifIaddressedthisblindspot?
Consider the impact on your leadership effectiveness:
CardinalPointNudge:
Blindspotsaren'tcharacterflaws they'regrowthopportunities Theleaderswhoadvancefastestarethose whogetcuriousabouttheirdiscomfortratherthanavoidingit
TheCoachingPartnershipAdvantage
Inourcoachingpartnership,myroleistohelpyounavigatethesecomplexities.We'llpinpointthekeybehaviors thatofferthegreatestleverageforyourleadershipstyleandsituation,ensuringyoudon'tspreadyourenergytoo thin Together,we'llcreatecustomizedstrategiesthatfeelauthenticandachievable Whensetbacksoccur and theywill I'llhelpyouinterpretthemasvaluablefeedbackratherthanfailures,guidingyoubackontrackswiftly.
CreatingYourReinforcementStrategy
BehaviorAudit&Planning:
Let'sassesswhereyouareandcreateafocusedplan:
Whatnewbehaviorhaveyoubeenworkingonrecently?
Be specific about the leadership behavior you're trying to develop:
Whenhaveyousuccessfullypracticedthisbehavior?
Describe the situation and what made it work:
Whendooldhabitstendtoresurface?
What triggers cause you to revert to old patterns?
What'sonespecificadjustmentyoucanmakethisweek?
Choose something small and actionable:
ThePowerofSmallWins
Lastly,Ican'temphasizeenoughtheimportanceofcelebratingyoursmallwins Eachtimeyouchooseanew behavioroveranoldone,you'restrengtheningthepathwaysinyourbrainandreinforcingyourleadershipgrowth. Theseseeminglyminorsuccessescreatemomentum,confidence,andlastingchange.
SmallWinsCelebrationExercise:
Thinkofasmallvictoryyou'veexperiencedrecentlyinyourleadership:
Whatspecificallydidyoudodifferently?
Describe the new behavior in detail:
Howdidthatsmallchangeimpactthesituationorthoseinvolved?
What was the ripple effect of your new approach?
Whocanyousharethissuccesswithtoreinforceyourprogress?
Accountability partners, mentors, team members:
Howwillyoucelebratethiswin?
What will you do to acknowledge your progress?
CardinalPointPoke:
Leadersoftenskipcelebration,thinkingit's"soft"orunnecessary Butcelebrationliterallyrewiresyour braintorepeatpositivebehaviors Makeitaleadershipdiscipline
YourWeeklyReinforcementSystem
Remember,realleadershiptransformationisn'taboutperfection it'saboutpatientpractice,steadyprogress,and honestself-reflection Yourcommitmenttothisreinforcementworkwillnotonlyshapeyourleadershiptodaybut alsocreatethefoundationforyourleadershiplegacytomorrow
TheThree-ExerciseWeeklyPractice
Taketimetodotheseexercisesthoughtfully they'redesignedtodeepenyourawareness,accelerateyour progress,andmakeyournewbehaviorsstick
Exercise1:WeeklyBehaviorAudit
EverySunday,reflectonthepastweek:
Whatnewbehaviordidyousuccessfullypracticethisweek?
Be specific about when and how:
Whendidoldhabitsresurface?
What were the triggers or circumstances?
What'soneadjustmentyoucanmakethiscomingweek?
Keep it small and specific:
Whatsupportoraccountabilitydoyouneed?
Who or what will help you stay on track?
Exercise2:Mid-WeekBlindSpotCheck
EveryWednesday,askyourselfhonestly:
WhatbehavioramIstillavoidingbecauseitmakesmeuncomfortable?
What's still in your "too hard" pile?
Whatbeliefaboutmyselforleadershipmightbefuelingthisavoidance?
What story are you telling yourself?
What'sonesmallstepIcantaketowardaddressingthisblindspot?
Start with the smallest possible action:
Exercise3:FridayWinRecognition
EveryFriday,celebrateyourprogress:
What'soneleadershipvictoryIhadthisweek,nomatterhowsmall?
Look for moments where you chose a new response:
WhatspecificallydidIdodifferently?
Describe the new behavior:
Howdidthatchangeimpactthesituationorthoseinvolved?
What was the result of your new approach?
WhowillIsharethissuccesswithtoreinforcemyprogress?
Name a specific person and when you'll tell them:
YourReinforcementFoundation
Younowhave:
Understandingofwhybehavioralchangeischallengingforsuccessfulleaders
Awarenessoftheemotionaljourneythatcomeswithgrowth
Toolsforidentifyingandaddressingyourblindspots
Asystemforcelebratingsmallwinstobuildmomentum
Aweeklypracticetomaintainawarenessandprogress
Strategiesforworkingwithsetbacksasfeedback,notfailure
Remember:
Realleadershiptransformationisn'taboutperfection it'saboutpatientpractice,steadyprogress,and honestself-reflection Yourcommitmenttothisreinforcementworkwillnotonlyshapeyourleadership todaybutalsocreatethefoundationforyourleadershiplegacytomorrow.
ScheduleYourReinforcementCoachingSession
Readytoaccelerateyourbehavioralchangeprocess?
BringyourinsightsfromtheseexercisestoacoachingsessionwithChris Let'sdiscuss:
Thepatternsyou'veidentifiedinyourbehaviorchangeprocess
Theblindspotsthataremostchallengingtoaddress
Howtocreatesustainablesystemsforreinforcingnewbehaviors
Yourbiggestwinsandhowtobuildonthem
Scheduleyoursessionhere:
https://calendlycom/chrispoyzer/cardinal-point-leadership-session
Reinforcement isn't just about maintaining progress it's about accelerating toward the leader you're becoming
AbouttheAuthor
ChrisPoyzer,MSW Executive&LeadershipCoach
CardinalPointLeadership
Chrisspecializesinhelpingleadersanchornewbehaviorsandcreatesustainabletransformationthrough provenreinforcementstrategies.