As the UK starts to cool down after a few days of intense heat, I was reminded over the past week about the need for people to change some of their current habits around things like water consumption. Whilst onsite delivering improvement training I heard about the 4 minute shower for example (that’s not a challenge to have a go at setting shower times by the way).

Yes, we need people to change behaviours but How achievable is this?

What struck me, as people working within water talked about the challenges of conserving water and doing some different things at home was that this isn’t necessarily a given. Do the people we lead in our water companies ALL do the habits and behaviours that we are wanting from the wider Customer population and if they don’t what does that tell us?

Our opportunity to lead and communicate with the people who work within our business structures is greater than the overall Customer base but they are still water Customers too. People within our business SHOULD be closer to understanding and feeling Purpose and why we do what we do. This should make it easier to influence the required behaviours in our people when they are being Customers out in the world. Role models for what we want.

Do your people do these behaviours as Water Customers?

What if they don’t and do you even know? This would be a great frame for learning about how strong the connection is between our people and the reason why we are here but also for how we design and position strategies into the wider community. If the people closest to what we do and why we do it haven’t adopted the behaviours we want from Customers then what does that say about our ability to make this go wider?

If we want to learn about how easy/hard it is to adopt new behaviours at home we have the opportunity to pull on thousands of people who are currently working within our business structures. Is this something that is understood and leveraged enough?

Do YOU do them?

Seriously, have you asked yourself this question. For all of the behaviour change we are looking for from the people beyond ourselves, whether that’s employees or customers, ultimately it starts with ourselves. If you observe your own behaviours are you role modelling what you want from others. Are you driving an electric car, getting 4 minute showers or fitting water meters? (other behaviours are also available).

If YOUR not doing them it’s going to make it harder to expect others to change at a time when Leadership around what’s required is paramount