Breaking the Cycle: Building Habits That Stick in 2025

As we roll into 2025, leaders everywhere are trying to shake off old patterns and inspire their teams to embrace new ways of thinking and working. But let’s face it: changing habits—whether personal or organizational—is hard. You’ve probably seen it happen before: a bold initiative launches with enthusiasm in January, only to fizzle out by spring. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Building habits that stick isn’t about willpower or lofty goals—it’s about understanding the science behind how habits form and applying that knowledge strategically. Leaders who know how to harness the power of habit formation can create a ripple effect, driving lasting change for themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

Why Habits Matter for Leaders

Habits are our brain’s way of automating repetitive tasks, freeing up mental energy for bigger, more complex decisions. Here’s the science: the prefrontal cortex, responsible for problem-solving, decision-making, and self-control, has limited capacity. To prevent overload, our brain shifts repetitive behaviors to the basal ganglia, the region responsible for habit formation. This allows us to perform everyday actions—like brushing our teeth or checking our emails—on autopilot, saving our mental resources for the bigger stuff.

For leaders, this means habits are more than personal quirks; they’re the foundation of how we work, lead, and drive results. The good news? By building deliberate, intentional habits, you can set yourself—and your team—up for success. But the reverse is also true: bad habits can form accidentally through repetition, creating inefficiencies and resistance to change.

The Common Problem: Why Habits Don’t Stick

Most habits don’t fail because they’re bad ideas—they fail because they’re poorly designed. Leaders often set ambitious goals without breaking them into actionable, repeatable steps. Worse, they underestimate the power of small, consistent behaviors. Add in the pressures of deadlines, competing priorities, and unexpected challenges, and it’s no wonder good intentions get derailed.

But here’s the kicker: habits don’t just stick because we’re motivated—they stick because they’re strategically aligned with how our brain works.

The Science of Habit Formation

Research highlights that habits form through repetition in a consistent context. The more a behavior is repeated under similar conditions, the more automatic it becomes. This can happen intentionally, with deliberate effort, or accidentally, leading to the formation of unproductive routines (Verplanken & Sui, 2019).

Key to successful habit formation is the cue-routine-reward loop:

• Cue: The trigger that initiates the habit.
• Routine: The behavior itself.
• Reward: The satisfaction or benefit derived from completing the habit.

Recent studies also emphasize the importance of aligning habits with personal identity and organizational values. When habits are tied to who we are or who we aspire to be, they’re more likely to stick (Esch & Michaelsen, 2023). Leaders can use this insight to design habits that not only drive results but also resonate with their team’s core motivations.

5 Practical Actions Leaders Can Take to Build Better Habits

If you’re ready to break the cycle of failed resolutions and create habits that truly stick, here are five research-backed strategies you can start using today:

1. Start Small and Focus on Specificity

Big, vague goals like “improve team communication” or “be more efficient” aren’t actionable—and they’re almost impossible to sustain. Instead, break goals into small, specific actions that are easy to repeat.

• Example: Instead of “improve team communication,” commit to “send a weekly update email to the team every Friday at 9 a.m.”
• Why It Works: Small, specific habits are easier to integrate into daily routines, increasing the likelihood of success.

2. Align Habits with Identity and Values

Research shows that habits tied to identity are more likely to stick (Verplanken & Sui, 2019). As a leader, think about the values and identity you want to reinforce—for yourself and your team.

• Example: If you see yourself as a collaborative leader, create a habit of scheduling regular one-on-one check-ins with team members.
• Why It Works: When habits reflect who we are or who we aspire to be, they become self-reinforcing.

3. Create a Supportive Environment

Your environment plays a huge role in shaping habits. By designing a workspace or system that supports positive behaviors, you can reduce friction and make it easier to stick with new routines.

• Example: If you want your team to prioritize planning, set up shared calendars and automated reminders for project deadlines.
• Why It Works: Simplifying the process removes barriers and makes positive habits the path of least resistance.

4. Celebrate Small Wins and Use Immediate Rewards

Our brains thrive on rewards. Acknowledging progress, no matter how small, reinforces the habit loop and keeps motivation high.

• Example: Celebrate team milestones with a quick shoutout during meetings or a personalized thank-you email.
• Why It Works: Immediate rewards boost dopamine levels, creating positive associations with the habit (Esch & Michaelsen, 2023).

5. Practice Patience and Resilience

Habits take time—on average, about 66 days to become automatic (Lally et al., 2010). The process won’t be perfect, and that’s okay. What matters is consistency and the ability to recover from setbacks.

• Example: If you miss a day or fall behind, focus on restarting the habit the next day rather than dwelling on the failure.
• Why It Works: Progress isn’t linear, but resilience ensures long-term success.

Overcoming Common Pitfalls

Even with the best intentions, two common pitfalls often derail habit formation: all-or-nothing thinking and the lack of social support.

All-or-nothing thinking creates unnecessary pressure. Missing a day or slipping up doesn’t mean failure—it’s simply part of the process. Shift your mindset to focus on what you can do next instead of dwelling on what went wrong. Recommit without judgment, and you’ll build resilience alongside your habits.

Similarly, social support plays a critical role in maintaining habits. Sharing your goals with others creates accountability and provides encouragement during setbacks. Whether it’s a trusted colleague or a peer group, having others cheer you on can make all the difference.

By addressing these pitfalls head-on, you’ll not only strengthen your habits but also build the resilience needed to sustain them over time.

Looking Ahead: Build Habits, Build Momentum

The habits we build today shape the leaders we become tomorrow. Whether you’re trying to improve your own routines or inspire change in your team, the key is to start small, stay consistent, and approach habit formation with intention.

Remember, it’s not about perfection—it’s about progress. By understanding the science of habits and applying these practical strategies, you can create a culture of intentionality, growth, and sustained success. So, what’s your first small step toward a better 2025?

~Dr. Shannan

References

• Esch, T., & Michaelsen, M. M. (2023). Understanding health behavior change by motivation and reward mechanisms. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
• Verplanken, B., & Sui, J. (2019). Habit and identity: Behavioral, cognitive, affective, and motivational facets of an integrated self. Frontiers in Psychology.
• Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009.