As cars, technology and clients evolve, so must we. The adage of “It’s the way things have always been done” needs to be eliminated. It can be difficult to begin a new habit or a new way of doing business. It can be equally difficult to end an old one. A good thing about a habit is that you can do it without thinking. A bad thing about a habit is that you do things without thinking.

However, as with most things in business and in life, consistency is key. The book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear states, “Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years. Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.”

True change only happens when the desired habit, outcome or KPI we are looking for is congruent with the individual’s personality. Suppose you’re an advisor who loves multitasking, helping people or being busy, but your open RO list is staggeringly long, or you have communication issues with your clients. In that case, you’ve prioritized accomplishment over administration. Long-lasting, good habits will never stick by simply adding a new goal or objective to hit. It will ultimately miss because you have not attempted to change who you are. You are treating the symptom without addressing the cause. You make all advisors clean up their messy desks, only to have them right back to where they were days later.

To truly motivate others, and ourselves, we need to make the new habit part of our identity, not something forced upon us. You can create real, positive change when you decide not to be “this,” but instead say internally, “I am this.”

Easier said than done. We are not trying to get overly philosophical here. However, there are ways to change our basic motivation beyond just the stick or the carrot. If you haven’t already, a great way to face reality and get the most out of yourself is to find out what inspires, motivates, leads and guides you. It can be difficult to admit this. We are confined only by the walls we put up for ourselves. One of the best ways to knock down these walls is through self-reflection, and a great way to perform this is by filling out a Predictive Index (PI) test. This will help uncover a person’s strengths, weaknesses and predictions about their current and future behaviors. Since people don’t come with an owner’s manual, how to motivate and lead depends greatly on the leader, not just the person.

When the personality traits say:

• I’m nervous to show the menu.
• I don’t have the confidence to overcome objections.
• I’m always late.
• I’m uncomfortable with confrontation.
• I would not be able to afford it.
• I’m bad at remembering names or calling people back.

These statements, once they’ve become persistent bad habits, are now etched into a person’s identity. The individual internally believes that this is who they are or that it is a result of how their peers perceive them. As Steven Covey discusses in his book The “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” an outsider’s perception in a social mirror is often an exaggerated distortion and not an accurate inner reflection. The individual needs to know their self-image, not the distortion from the social funhouse mirror.

Self-actualization can be uncovered from completing the PI, which helps you find ways to motivate, inspire, cultivate and grow good habits. This changes the way we see ourselves, and eventually, those negative habits begin to evaporate.

For me, I was always somebody who saw myself as someone who was just bad with names. So, I relegated myself to just having that as a personality trait. “Oh well, I’m just bad with names.” It wasn’t until I decided to find better habits to change this negative trait that I was able to internally see myself differently. Now I make it a point to intentionally repeat the individual’s name, find ways to associate it with something personal for me, or use their name at the end of each sentence. The hardest part is simply owning the fact that I forgot their name from the previous encounter. That way, I’m no longer avoiding that person because I couldn’t remember their name. Once I ask for the second embarrassing time, I never forget.

Once you know more about yourself and begin creating better habits, you can start setting your personal or professional goals. Align those new habits with your new goals. Make sure those goals are specific, measurable and personally action-based. Goals should be realistic, always have an end date and include consistent review dates for evaluations and tracking.

Then you can mold the new habit to mirror both the desired departmental goal and your personal goal. Goals are a transference of energy into action. What will be your action? With this realization, you will begin to create real, positive change within yourself and the department.

With your good habits, you begin to create an environment that’s professional, pleasant, productive and efficient. Ultimately, the good habits practiced at your dealership are the sum of all the wanted behavior you celebrate, minus all the bad habits you tolerate. You become what you repeat.