Lesson Plan For Change

A few weeks back I ran across an article on the front of the Life section in USAToday. The title of the article was "Losing is in the lesson plan" and it told the story of a group of teachers in Indiana who, collectively, dropped 300 pounds by inspiring one another into eating better & exercising regularly.

For five months, 22 teachers and staff members at Whitko Middle School in Larwill, Indiana weighed in weekly, kept track of their losses, and gave each other prizes for their success. A lot of the teachers spent their lunch breaks or after school time exercising together, using the school hallways as a walking track. They swapped favorite healthy recipes and sponsored a clothing swap to give away clothes that no longer fit them! By the end of the school year, one person had lost 40 pounds; two others lost 25; and the others lost 10-20.

The secret to their success was mutual accountability.

If you want things to change in your organization - if you really want people to DO things differently - if YOU want to do things differently - an important question to ask at the beginning of the process is, "Who's going to help make this happen??" Who, in other words, will provide accountability...encouragement...support...? Who's going to cheer for you when you make progress and who's going to reenergize you when you don't? Who's going to remind you to have fun as you work?!

In our experience, organizations (and people!) have the best shot at achieving their outcomes and reaching their goals when they are in a relationship with somebody "outside" their system - a coach, a consultant, a mentor, a therapist/counselor, another person/organization/group of people or organizations who are going through the same process.

Who's cheering for you these days? Who can you count on to keep you on track???

The measure of your seriousness about change is, in part anyway, your willingness to enter a relationship with somebody who can help make sure you stay serious about it.