Is "Atomic Habits" worth reading?
Five key takeaways I gained as a leader and entrepreneur
By Eloiza Mariano Serate
Leadership is a challenging journey that requires continuous personal and professional development. To become effective leaders, we often seek guidance from various sources. One such source is the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, which offers valuable insights into the power of small habits and their ability to transform our lives.
As a leader of 22 (and growing) remote professionals, I cannot overstate how important the formation of good habits is, as our individual and team habits directly influence how we execute tasks at work and maintain a good balance between work and personal pursuits.
My champions and I have been reading the ‘Atomic Habits’ as part of our professional development. It has been a revelation to all of us – and in this article, I would like to share with you the five key takeaways from the book and examine how we leaders can apply them to enhance our own leadership skills.
1. The Power of Tiny Habits
Clear emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes that compound over time. We can apply this principle by developing small daily habits that align with our goals.
By consistently practicing these habits, leaders like us can create a positive ripple effect, leading to significant progress and growth within their teams and organizations.
A good example of how I applied this to my team is when I intentionally included ‘process improvement’ in every project meeting in the VCPH space. Our team makes sure that regardless of how task-heavy or hectic our conversations are, we make sure that we allocate time for everyone to provide inputs on how we want to improve the process of how we tackle a project. This process allows my team to think forward and provide a more efficient way to go about a process step, allowing us to evolve the way we do things in VCPH continuously.
2. The 1% Rule
Clear introduces the concept of the 1% rule, which suggests that striving for just a 1% improvement each day can lead to substantial long-term results. As leaders, we often set ambitious goals, but consistent, incremental progress drives lasting success.
As a leader inclined to stick to my vision, it may seem counterproductive to aim for incremental progress – especially if you are in the beginning stages of establishing your business. However, slow and steady always wins the race. In my opinion, 1% progress every day, while a little bit more time-consuming, is more sustainable in the long run because it allows your team to appreciate their growth and internalize the lessons that they learn along the proverbial climb toward the lofty goals that you intend to reach in the future.
By encouraging team members to embrace this mindset, you can foster a continuous learning and improvement culture where everyone is motivated to make small, meaningful contributions each day.
3. The Importance of Keystone Habits
Keystone habits are pivotal behaviors that have a positive domino effect on other areas of our lives. As a leader, we are responsible for identifying and cultivating keystone habits within ourselves and our teams to drive transformative change.
One good example of cultivating a keystone habit is setting up mechanisms to let these habits be a natural part of your team’s work process. Our team is big on prioritizing effective communication as a keystone habit – and to ensure that this is encouraged, we require our team members to submit a daily stand-up form to allow them to communicate their goals and priorities, as well as their challenges. I’ve seen how this has not only improved how my team collaborates but also boosted their overall morale and allowed them to be connected – something that could be more challenging to do when everyone is working virtually.
Deliberately focusing on keystone habits can set the stage for sustainable growth and success.
4. The Role of Environment
Clear emphasizes the significant influence of our environment on our habits. As leaders, it is crucial to design an environment that promotes and supports positive behaviors. This can include establishing clear expectations, providing the necessary resources, and creating a culture that encourages and rewards desirable habits.
We are a small business, but despite still building VCPH from the ground up, I made sure that continuous learning is incentivized in my team. Aside from allocating billable hours for professional development, we have also set up communication channels for team members to share their knowledge. By doing so, I hope to create an environment that inspires each of my team members to pursue more learning and share the growth they are experiencing with the team.
By shaping the environment, we can make it easier for our teams to adopt and maintain the habits that contribute to individual and collective success.
5. Continuous Improvement and Learning
One of the central themes in “Atomic Habits” is the idea that habits are not just about achieving goals but also about embodying a process of continuous improvement. My biggest takeaway from the book is that I should prioritize my personal growth and encourage the same within my team.
Leaders can inspire others to embrace change, seek new opportunities, and constantly refine their skills by cultivating a growth mindset and fostering a learning culture. Continuous improvement becomes a habit, leading to a dynamic and agile organization.When businesses successfully scale, they’re in a better position to improve more lives and serve their customers better.
However, with remote team members or multiple projects to manage, it can feel overwhelming for anyone to figure out ClickUp on their own. We take care of this using customized solutions and at a fraction of the cost, without compromising the quality of our services.
In conclusion
“Atomic Habits” provides us leaders a framework to cultivate transformative habits and unlock their full potential. By consistently applying the principles above, we can become agents of positive change and create a lasting impact within our organizations.
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