23 - My keystone thing
The right keystone habit can produce a domino effect
This past week was a big one for me. I started my new role in a new hospital and the past few days have been hectic. Although I have now worked in the United Kingdom for three years, the transition from a small private hospital to a big public/government hospital, has been a little overwhelming.
However, every member of staff I have come across so far has been super friendly and helpful. We had induction the first couple of days and we got introduced to some of the consultants and senior nursing staff from different departments. I couldn’t help but notice the great camaraderie across the hospital. The consultants insisted on being addressed by their first names and didn’t just encourage us to ask questions, they also answered every question asked, even those that had been asked before.
During one session, the consultant opened by putting up a slide that read “What do you fear”. Then she went round the room and made us introduce ourselves and answer the question. She made sure everyone participated and she took her time to answer every question honestly. She told us that mistakes are inevitable, but reassured us that they would not be held against us, while reminding us to always feel free to approach a senior if we had any issues, clinical or otherwise.
This is very different from my experience with Nigerian consultants who act like demigods and expect their juniors to address them reverently while doing very little to impart any knowledge. Instead, taking pride in belittling and undermining junior colleagues who are supposed to be training under their tutelage.
The consultants I met this week were friendly and supportive. Personally, I found this encouraging. With seniors who are not likely to call me names if I make a mistake, I am more likely to volunteer to carry out procedures independently, and in time get more confident in making clinical decisions on my own. I imagine that other doctors in my position must feel the same way. Thus an atmosphere of psychological safety is created.
I first heard of psychological safety a few weeks ago in a podcast episode and then read more about it in this book last week.
Psychological safety is the belief that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. ... It's a shared belief held by members of a team that others on the team will not embarrass, reject, or punish you for speaking up.
In an environment with all these factors, people are more likely to show increased creativity and overall performance.
This led me to another concept, that of keystone habits, which i first came across in this book.
According to Charles Duhigg, keystone habits are habits that have the power to start a chain reaction, changing other habits as they move through an organisation (or person). Keystone habits start a process that over time transforms everything.
Psychological safety can be considered a keystone habit. A habit that when cultivated, sets off actions that lead to unintended benefits in an organisation or individual.
For example, in a busy understaffed Accident & Emergency department, with consultants who are hands on and have cultivated an atmosphere of psychological safety, members of staff are more likely to apply themselves because they know that they have seniors to guide them if need be.
When your manager is checking routinely to make sure you’re taking your breaks, you’re able to rest and you’re more likely to approach work with a happier attitude. This is to the benefit of both patients and colleagues.
When you’re not being rushed by your colleagues, you’re less likely to make errors.
When your rota coordinator is approachable, you’re not afraid to request shift swaps that may help save what is left of your social life and subsequently make you a happier employee.
All these small wins, though seemingly unrelated at first, result in a happier workplace and better outcomes for patients and this leads to more chocolates and less letters of complaint.
I can not think of many examples of keystone habits, but I can tell you about my keystone habit.
You guessed it. Exercise.
When I first started working out, it was strictly motivated by vanity. After a while, I did start to enjoy it, and seeing how my body would respond during periods of consistency was my small win and this encouraged me.
When I started exercising regularly over ten years ago, I had no clue how to use any machine at the gym, was scared to lift weights and hated cardio.
I still do not like cardio, but after many years of exercising regularly, I know now that I can do any cardiovascular exercise of my choosing, I just have to decide I want to. My brain now knows that running for 30minutes might cause my heart to beat super fast and give me a stitch in my side, but every run is me collecting evidence for the fact that running is not likely to kill me.
Every completed workout is a small win that reassures me that I can have another small win tomorrow, and the day after.
Gradually, and I mean over the past decade or so, this has spilled into other aspects of my life.
In order to wake up early and be well rested enough to workout, it helps to get a decent amount of sleep. So I started sleeping earlier.
I found out that abs are indeed made in the kitchen and no amount of crunches would get rid of my belly fat, so I started to make adjustments in my diet.
I discovered alcohol slowed me down, so I cut down on my alcohol consumption.
Seeing the improvements I made when working with a fitness trainer helped me recognise the benefits of working with an expert and now I’m more likely to pay for professional help when I need it. And so on.
So where I started out just wanting a smaller waist, my exercise habit has now snowballed into a (somewhat) disciplined lifestyle that comes with many benefits.
Keystone habits are also described as habits that when they start to shift, can dislodge and remake other patterns. They are also habits that produce small wins and produce them regularly.
For some people this can be something as basic as making the bed first thing in the morning everyday. I have a friend who does this and he says that the simple act of making his bed every morning gives him a sense of achievement which he carries with him through the day.
For religious people with families, a keystone habit might be family prayers. Meeting everyday to pray with your family members can foster better relationships. Daily scripture readings might help with character and integrity building, all while developing a stronger spiritual relationship with your God of choice.
For parents of young children, it might be sitting down to dinner together every night. This might create an opportunity to bond with the kids. Kids might be more motivated to finish their homework in time to present it to their parents, thereby improving their academic performance. Parents might cut down on other social events in order to prioritise this family ritual, thereby spending less, and so on.
I’m sure that with enough thought, we can all probably come up with keystone habits peculiar to our own life circumstances.
I’m curious to find other examples of keystone habits. Feel free to share any of yours with me.
This week I am reading
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. I can not remember how this one got on my list. I am quite fascinated by how we as humans respond to the things we respond to, so this has been an interesting read so far.
I finally got my dream flat from which this letter is currently being produced! I am super pleased and thankful because I love my new space. At the same time I also have a bit of chest tightness when I think about how the increase in my monthly committed spending.
Here’s wishing you what I wish myself this week, unexpected cash gifts. Amen.
Have a great week.
Chioma.
All the best 🥰
Congrats on your new job and apartment!