Episode 64 - Two Keys to Making and Breaking Habits

<h2>SUMMARY</h2> <p class="">Habits can either help or hinder our leadership. In this episode we explore the two keys to making and breaking habits. </p> <p class="" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"> </p> <h2>TRANSCRIPT</h2> <p class="">Hello and welcome to episode 64 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we explore the key to making and breaking habits. </p> <p class="">This is our first new episode coming out at the start of February. If you’re anything like me and most other people, the goals you set a month ago may be starting to fade. Our great intentions may have run into everyday challenges and circumstances. Or maybe this year was different, and the intentions you started with are beginning to stick. They might even have become part of your everyday routine. What likely made the difference are habits. </p> <p class="">A habit is something we do regularly without much conscious thought - something that persists, and that can be difficult to change or give up. A habit is neither good or bad, but it can be helpful or harmful in the context of goals we set for ourselves. Perhaps my habit of laying out exercise gear in the evening is helping me to achieve my goal of getting to the gym in the morning. Maybe my habit of ordering a burger and fries each time I eat out is getting in the way of my goal to lose weight. And it’s the same at work. My habit of greeting my colleagues in the morning might be helping to build relationships. But my habit of speaking first and listening second might be getting in the way of truly listening to others.</p> <p class="">So what are the keys to making or breaking a habit? To answer this we need to go to the movies.</p> <p class="">I want you to picture yourself at a cinema with a bucket of popcorn. Just as the movie starts, you reach in, grab some popcorn and put it in your mouth. Now, this popcorn unfortunately isn’t as fresh as you might hope. In fact, it has been made a full week earlier and left out to