Great morning Team,
We have all heard the famous saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” a quote thought by many to be coined by the famous Albert Einstein, although there was no evidence he said or wrote it. Rather it was a saying that simply grew popular in the 80’s over time through various modalities such as books, posters and websites. The question is, why did it become so popular? Perhaps the phrase brought about the realization and truth for many, that if we are not getting the results we want and we don’t change our approach in the way we do something, we will continue to experience failure or dissatisfaction repeatedly.
Reflecting on our Core Values that have been recently introduced, it guides us to look inward, taking inventory of where we excel and where we don’t. The next step though is to ask ourselves the question we don’t always realize we need to ask or want to ask when thinking about our own areas of opportunity: “What would I need to change to have a better outcome?” Whether we are looking at these Core Values or really anything that we find difficult either personally or professionally, this question applies.
I encountered this question quite recently when a struggle with my own health forced me to stop and look at the bigger picture of what needed to change, and more importantly, what I needed to change. I painfully realized the doctor I was seeking treatment from was providing “band-aid” approaches; repeatedly prescribing medicine without any new testing, rather only relying on past test results. He only assumed the root cause of my issues, despite my questioning and voicing my concerns. I knew intuitively I wasn’t being heard and yet I continued to seek treatment from this person, expecting that each next visit would be better, while my health was only getting worse. Deep down, I knew I needed to take ownership and accountability to attain better outcomes. I could only look to myself to create change. No one was going to do it for me. This self-awareness propelled me to do the work of deep research to find these ideal circumstances. It also required courage and commitment to try new ways of thinking and doing, leading with curiosity. All my work led to eventually discovering the right doctors in the right practice who are now providing me with new protocols, tests, and medicines and who are driven and deeply invested in finding the root cause of my health issues. I am proud I had the courage to take ownership of myself to make this change. As a result, I now have far better care and an abundance of hope that I can finally begin to heal and enjoy optimal health.
“Trying Stuff” as Andy Fleming calls it, is not just to innovate organizationally, but to innovate personally as well. We “better us” both personally and professionally, when we choose to look inward, when we choose to want to become 1% better every day, when we commit to figuring out the “how,” so we can rewrite our own narrative.
Looking inward is hard, and taking ownership of what we discover is even harder. Often, we seek to look for a better tool to solve the problem; but in the end, what if the problem we need to solve is our own behavior, and perhaps need to learn a different way to BE? Marsha Acker, author of “The Art of Facilitation” and Professional Certified Team Coach, discusses this in her article, “Why We Need to Invest in Behavior Change- Not Another Tool,” and what communicative competence means and why it is so important, what gets in the way and what holds us back. (Click here to read article.)
The great news is, while growth is not easy, we don’t have to do it alone. Whether it’s personal or professional, we have each other to lean on for support and feedback to help us realize and face what it will take to become better, whatever the growth edge and/or circumstance, so we don’t “rise and repeat;” leading us on a journey of better outcomes for ourselves and for E&I!
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Wishing you all a Better We, Better Week! 😊
Lori Beth
