Enable New Work Habits in 3 Research-Backed Steps

How To Enable New Work Habits When Change Is Needed
When strategies shift or leadership evolves, change management consulting experts know that the work habits that once served your organization may no longer be effective. Yet even when change is clearly positive, adopting new habits can be surprisingly difficult. Anyone who has tried to break a long-standing habit or master a new skill knows that lasting change doesn’t come easily. The good news is that meaningful change is achievable — and it can happen far more quickly when leaders apply the right approach, combining clear expectations, consistent reinforcement, and a culture that supports learning and adaptation.

Three Steps for Leaders to Enable New Work Habits
Based upon change management simulation data, here are three proven steps to better enable new work habits:

1. Identify Doable Behavioral Chunks
   Engage your team in pinpointing the habits that need to change to align strategy, boost performance, and sustain engagement. Focus on a few critical micro behaviors — small, actionable steps that are easy to define, implement, and reinforce consistently.

   For instance, if decision-making is an area for improvement, start with a simple behavior like: “Before we begin making a decision, we will all agree on exactly what decision we are trying to make.” Achieving these small, tangible behaviors builds momentum and prepares the team to tackle more complex habits, such as agreeing on the decision-making process itself. By breaking change into manageable steps, teams can make steady progress without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Focus On Learning and Progress
   Change rarely happens perfectly the first time, and missteps are inevitable. As a team leader, emphasize that consistent effort, steady improvement, and learning — not immediate perfection — are the real goals. Encourage team members to experiment with new habits, reflect on what worked and what didn’t, and try again.

   Allow them to experience the process fully, embracing the new habit and finding satisfaction in learning. Reinforce each positive step with recognition and feedback, helping the team see that every attempt — successful or not — is an opportunity to learn and grow, refine skills, and move closer to lasting change.

3. Coach, Encourage, and Reinforce
   As a change leader, your role is to create an environment where your team feels safe experimenting with new ways of thinking and behaving — without fear of mistakes. Reinforce desired habits with timely, specific praise and support; the more precise you are about the behavior you want to see, the more motivated your team will be to continue it.

   From a coaching perspective, help team members accurately assess their progress, provide constructive feedback to guide improvement, and work with them to develop individual action plans to close any gaps.

   Research underscores the power of positive reinforcement: your encouragement should outweigh constructive feedback by roughly five-to-one. Academic studies by Emily Heaphy and Marcial Losada found that the highest-performing teams maintained a ratio of approximately 5.6 positive to negative interactions. By emphasizing encouragement and reinforcement, you create a culture where new habits can take root, grow, and stick.

The Bottom Line
Enabling new work habits begins with small, manageable steps and consistent, specific positive feedback. Recognize that habit change is a process — one rooted in learning, reflection, and steady improvement. While it requires patience and practice, each step builds momentum, and over time, these new behaviors evolve into lasting skills that strengthen both individual and team performance.

To learn more about how to enable new work habits, download How Top Leaders Successfully Recognize and Reward Organizational Change

by Tristam Brown: CEO

Tristam Brown is an executive business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.