Productivity is the buzzword of the moment. There are so many methods to boost it out there that you could spend all day reading about them without getting anything done!

When I saw David Allen—The New York Times bestselling author of Getting Things Done—speak at a conference, I realized how much productivity comes down to behavior.

As I listened to him speak I kept thinking, “This is all based on the behavioral concepts I work with every day.”

His cardinal message was: To get things done, you need to know what the end result looks like.

That’s the gap I most often close for parents and teachers!

It’s like baking a cake. Before you even start you have to know exactly what kind of cake you want to have, because the steps you take will be determined by what kind of cake you’re trying to make. Ice cream cake, German chocolate cake, and cheesecake have very different recipes. The vision for the final product will determine the action steps you take.

This requires taking your mind off the present problem and moving it to the final vision.

This is the opposite of most big being’s natural tendency. Most big beings can define in detail what the behavior problem entails. They can talk about it for days and if prompted could create an epic Power Point presentation on the situation.

But when you ask big being what the behavior would look like when the change happens their response becomes vague and fuzzy.

This needs to shift if you want to see lasting results and don’t want to see one bad behavior transform into another.

Because you can’t change behavior if you don’t know where you’re headed, just as you can’t be productive if you don’t know the end result. (Click to Tweet)

To change problem behavior with your small being, you need to not only know what negative behavior you want to change, but also you need to identify what you want things to look like once it is changed. What will replace their yelling? What will replace the hitting? Their tantrums?

The answer is going to be different for each family. Some parents may want their child to stop hitting and give them hugs instead. Some parents may want their child to stop hitting and use their words instead. Some parents may want their child to stop hitting and play quietly instead.

Once you know where you’re heading you can get there!

Insight Into Action!

Parents: What is one behavior you would like to change in your small being? What would the ideal behavior look like?

Teachers: What is one behavior you would like to shift in your classroom overall? What would that look like?

Feedback? Thoughts? Comments? Leave ‘um below or email me at: [email protected].

With a little help we can all grow. If a special person in your life can use this information, then please forward this blog.

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