A year ago, we adopted a 5-month-old golden retriever from an organization that rescued 25+ dogs out of a hot, dirty hoarding situation.

A dog from a tough situation often resists things as simple as a comfy dog bed, food from the hand, and cuddles from humans.  Why?  Because the old ways are what they know even if they’re uncomfortable.  So when change comes along, they resist because they don’t realize it will make their lives better and easier.

Resisting change is the same type of behavior that can hold decision makers back from implementing it.

Just like dogs, we are creatures of habit and we don’t always recognize what we need to make our lives better and easier.   We know how to implement our current systems, but when it comes to implementing change, we resist.

To quote James Clear from Atomic habits “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

So what do we do?  Well, like we did with our young dog, we start small.  A small change can have a significant impact.

The thing I love about owning a rescue dog is watching how small, gradual changes build his confidence.

So if you want to implement change, choose to implement one small change that will have the most impact on confidence levels.

For example maybe you have a well-oiled facility response plan.  We all know a good facility response plan acts as a handbook to ensure crucial tasks are not forgotten during a chaotic time.

For this reason big changes to the plan can create resistance.  Instead consider a small update to the plan that that will up confidence in the plan.  It could be as simple as updating the absorbent products used in the plan.

When confidence is the result of change, adapting to it feels good.

Despite our brain’s tendency toward familiarity, doing something new that builds confidence increases openness to further change.

As a leader, what’s one small thing you can change that might have the biggest impact?

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Meet Ollie – our rescue pup