A phrase used by David Cameron, ex Prime Minister to describe himself; and an example of how we can set off on a career path, with conviction and good intentions and still come a cropper!

It’s notable that the things we resolve to change are generally the systematic failures. And if the one constant in business is change then where does that leave us?

This is why organisational culture becomes embedded and why it’s so difficult to transform. We develop (company) habits which get in the way of achieving our goals. We also construct an environment that supports our behaviour and surround ourselves with people who help us in that endeavour. Think ‘blame culture or ‘victim consciousness’ for example – these are collective behaviours born out of a collaborative negative mentality.

So, how can you change a cultural habit across an entire organisation?

A big key to behaviour change is to make desirable behaviours easy and undesirable behaviours hard. Make it so uncomfortable to continue with the negative that people start to favour the positive. That isn’t always easy; it requires patience and determination – and of course time to follow up, often multiple times.

The effort though is worth it; as much more of the right stuff will get done, in the right way and at the right time.

This week’s link is For HRDs who continually have to deal with the fallout from an intransigent culture.