The Oxford Dictionary definition of Contagious and Behavior are as under puts it at two levels,
Contagious
1. (of a disease) spread from one person or organism to another, typically by direct contact.e.g. “a contagious disease”
Synonyms: infectious, communicable, transmittable, transmissible, transferable, spreadable; More
2. (of an emotion, feeling, or attitude) likely to spread to and affect others .e.g. “her enthusiasm is contagious”
Behavior: the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others
Most of us while growing up observed and learnt our behavior from our immediate surroundings which include our parents, siblings, relatives and our school. We were at an impressionable age and we just mirrored what we saw. As we developed into adults with a fully developed cognitive capacity, we somehow seem to forget to “stop/pause delete” old or unwanted behaviour and “record” new behaviour. All along, we have had an innate knowledge of this ability of ours. I re-emphasize the dictionary meaning of behaviour – the way in which one acts or conducts oneself.
This brings me to the central theme of this blog viz. Behavior can be chosen and learnt. A smiling child brings smile on our face, a constant complainer spoils our day or sucks our energy away. When I look into my family, my circle of friends and all my experiences, I see a mirror image of my pattern of behaviour and vice-versa.
The second piece of “contagiousness” of behaviour is also true. We often experience that when we smile, the world smiles back at us. I complain, I meet people who constantly complain. We see what we play repeatedly. We create a frequency highway within us to bring experiences which fully resonate with our chosen behaviour.
Can this then hold true for organizations?
We are aware of organizations wherein you will find people are actively engaged, are happy and overall are great places to work. People working in these organizations have discovered meaning in their life through their work. Then there are organizations wherein, no matter how high the pay package, you will find people are sad, have health issues, are unhappy or don’t have enough energy. Can the reason be attributed to behaviors at all levels drawing each other within the frequency range being played at an individual and collective level creating some sort of vortex of attraction?
This opens up an exciting possibility to experiment with our own behaviors and to experience whether this frequency mumbo jumbo I am talking about holds any truth. Here are a few experiments I am currently engaged in actively:
1) #SwitchofftheFans:
Every time my train pulls at the last stations, I switch off the fans in my compartment. To my excitement, over the last few months, I observe similar behaviour in my fellow travellers.
2) #ICompost:
I have been composting my wet food leftovers for the past 2 years in the urban city of Mumbai. Over a period of time, I am now part of a composting group which talks and breathes the benefits of composting. Secondly, I am also giving guest talk on the simplicity of composting in my neighborhood simply by word of mouth.
3) #OrganizationNarrative:
In one of the organizations I consult, increased awareness of the leaders of their own behaviors is resulting in a new narrative, a new language of hope, caring and sharing. Is it impacting the organization system? Of course it is.
What are some of your behavior or of your organization which you find contagious or want to experiment actively? Do share (I am grateful for your sharing), as it allows us to write a new narrative in our own lives and on those whom we impact.
-#SJ
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