Today, let’s explore five ways of turning the mundane into the extraordinary, discovering the power of routine to propel us towards remarkable achievements. As corporate comms professionals, we’re adept at shaping narratives, and here, we’ll delve into how to apply that skill to your daily tasks and routines.
Turning Routine into Remarkable
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
– Aristotle, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath
If we’re not intentional to put our phones to sleep or in airplane mode before we start counting ZZZs, we run the risk of waking to the pings and beeps of other people’s priorities. In a world where YOLO (you only live once) and FOMO (fear of missing out) reign supreme, routines often get a bad rap. However, when harnessed effectively, routines can be your secret weapon that enable you to build muscle memory and free your mind to think creatively and imagine the possibilities.
Establish a morning routine that kick-starts your day with intention. Whether it’s a moment of reflection, a brisk walk or a gratitude practice, setting a positive tone in the morning can significantly impact your day.
Crafting Compelling Narratives
No matter how much data you have, the story you tell is what sticks.
– Chip Heath, Co-author of Made to Stick and an American academic
Communication is at the core of what we do, and weaving a compelling narrative into your weekly or monthly update can transform routine into remarkable.
Instead of simply presenting facts and figures, consider framing the data within a broader context. Without context and a compelling narrative, data are just numbers. Ask “what is the data saying?” Go beyond the “what” and ask “so what?”
There’s an old joke where a leader asks the statistician what does the data mean. And the data scientist responds with “What do you want it to mean?”
All joking aside, shed all your preconceived notions. Set the stage by sharing the story leading up to the point when you captured the data. Clearly state the challenge(s) that must be overcome or the lessons to be learned.
When you share your story, you’ll connect better with your audience. When you connect to their hearts first, their heads will follow. With context and a story arc, your audience will not only understand the information but connect with the narrative on a deeper emotional level.
Leading with Purpose
Leadership is about inspiring others towards a shared vision and helping others see how their contributions are contributing to something bigger. That’s the whole paradigm shift introduced by Simon Sinek’s Start with Why.
So make it a habit to infuse purpose into your communications, emphasizing not just the ‘what’ but the ‘why.’ When your team understands the purpose behind the routine tasks, they become more invested, and the mundane becomes a collective effort towards something remarkable.
Principled and purposeful leaders are surefooted even when the ground beneath their feet isn’t. Leadership is more than a title; it’s an action. In fact, I believe we’ve all known at least one person who had a title but consistently failed to demonstrate leadership qualities and behaviors. While The Peter Principle can be avoided, it’s very real.
I also believe we can think of an individual who didn’t have the title or any direct reports, and we’d gladly support their efforts and likely follow them anywhere.
Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
– Robert Collier, American author of self-help and New Thought metaphysical books
Routine shouldn’t equate to stagnation. Embrace a mindset of continuous improvement. Regularly evaluate processes, seek feedback and iterate.
By fostering an environment that values growth and adaptation, you transform routine into a dynamic force propelling you and your team towards remarkable achievements.
Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning change for the better or continuous improvement. It’s a Japanese business philosophy that concerns the processes that continuously improve operations and involve all employees. Kaizen sees improvement in productivity as a gradual and methodical process.
Toyota operationalized kaizen by humanizing the workplace, empowering individual members to identify areas for improvement and suggest practical solutions.
More recently, James Clear popularized the idea of continuous improvement, framing it with the idea of becoming one percent better. Much of his work revolves around habits, building good ones and breaking bad ones. His approach to systems and habits is science based and remarkably simple and straightforward. What’s amazing to me is the positive impact improving a single habit can have on a person’s daily routine over time. In Atomic Habits, James Clear says getting one percent better at something won’t be apparent immediately, but your good habits can compound positively across all aspects of your life, including:
- Productivity compounds– one extra task is a small feat on any given day but counts for a lot over an entire career.
- Knowledge compounds– learning one new idea won’t make you a genius but a commitment to lifelong learning can be transformative.
- Relationships compound– being a little bit nicer in each interaction can result in a network of broad and strong connections over time.
Embracing Innovation in Everyday Tasks
Challenge the status quo by infusing innovation into routine tasks. Encourage your team to explore new approaches, technologies or methodologies. Look at your systems and processes differently. Is the work necessary? Before you just say “yes,” answer the question objectively.
Over time, things change. The report you produced earlier suited the need at the time, but leadership, the customer or something else may have changed… is the report still needed? If it is, has technology advanced to the point you can automate it? Oh, hello AI (artificial intelligence)!
Ask “is there a way to streamline the steps? A simple shift in perspective can turn mundane tasks into opportunities for creativity and growth.
Parting Thought
In the realm of corporate comms as well as one’s own personal life, the ability to turn routine into remarkable is a skill that sets us apart. As you navigate your day, remember that every routine holds the potential for greatness.
Harness the power of communication, lead with purpose and infuse continuous improvement into your everyday. Your routine isn’t just a checklist; it’s muscle memory that frees your mind to see the world differently, innovate and produce remarkable results.
Take Action – Ready to transform your routine? Share your insights or challenges in the comments below.
Let’s inspire and empower each other to make every system, process and task just a little better day by day. Let’s commit to turn the routine into remarkable.
Inspire on!
Thank you for sharing, Al! Simon Sinek spoke to our firm recently. He champions something I’m passionate about which is servant leadership – making sure those around you rise to the top. That combined with your point on being a little nicer on each interaction can help transform a company’s culture. Ryan Jenkins is a local Atlanta author who’s most recent book ‘Connectable’ discusses workplace loneliness. Another habit I’d suggest in order to turn routine into remarkable is to seek out a colleague and check in on them personally. Go out of your way to encourage your colleagues, find a way to compliment their work, and make sure no one feels unappreciated or disconnected. Here is a cool podcast discussing this, along with others like Mark Miller who wrote ‘Culture Rules’ –> https://www.workvivo.com/resource/theemployeeexperiencepodcast-ryan-jenkins/