The #1 New Year's resolution is to lose weight.  By far, it is the most common goal people set.  That's why we see so many weight loss program ads on television from Christmas through January.  Not surprisingly, however, achieving weight loss (especially long-lasting weight loss) is also by far the goal least achieved. 

There's no magic to losing weight.  You have to eat less, and exercise more.  Yet, this is incredibly hard to achieve.  Why?  People focus on the result, rather than the necessary behavior change.  If we try to maintain the same schedule, doing the same things, then we're not going to implement or maintain a weight loss program.  To lose weight we have to focus on the behavior change, changes in routines, which creates opportunities for more exercise and less exposure to calories.  Because weight loss is a RESULT of the behavior change.  If we focus on doing the right things – such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, exercising at lunch break instead of eating, and portioning food on our plate instead of helping ourselves from the family table – then weight loss happens. 

But for most of us, changing behaviors is very hard.  How will we find the time to exercise in an already busy schedule?  How are we to eat less when we eat lunch with co-workers and dinner with our families?  Lock-in to our routine is practically invisible – but it is that Locked-in routine which created the weight gain.  Unless we change the routine - Disrupt the Lock-in – we won't be able behave differently. 

For many of us this can be helped if we create a competition.  If we challenge a family member or co-worker to "who can lose 20 pounds first", or "who can lose the most weight in 90 days" it helps us to focus on the necessary changes which will lead to weight loss.  We see how the competitor behaved in the past, and recognize the changes we need to make.  And we see the competitor's actions and steal ideas.  Focusing on a competitor is very helpul at identifying behavioral and structural Lock-ins in our lives, and recognizing the necessary Disruptions that can lead to changes.

Of course, we all have to build our own unique new routine.  This takes experimentation.  Some arise earlier in order to exercise.  Some switch from eating lunch to exercising at the noon break.  Some start portioning their food onto their plates prior to sitting down, rather than eating "family style", in order to eat less. Others change their diets to eating more vegetables, or no carbohydrates.  Successful weight loss involves giving ourselves permission to try new things (recognizing that others will very likely not be as keen on our changes) and dedicating resources to the effort – from time to money (possibly for gym fees or exercise equipment).  Those who achieve long-lasting weight reduction always say they had to experiment, sometimes for weeks, before finding a new routine which they could Lock-in to that maintained exercise and proper nutrition.

Achieving the weight loss goal means (1) recgnizing we are Locked-in to a routine that must change if we want different results (2) select a competitive challenge to increase and maintain focus on change (3) Disrupt our old routine (4) create White Space to experiment with new behaviors until a new routine can be developed aligned with achieving and maintaining the weight loss goal.  Don't focus on losing weight.  Focus on changing behaviors which leads to the result of lower weight.

The same is true for businesses.  Layoffs in reaction to a bad economy are like a crash, starvation diet.  Because existing Lock-in isn't addressed, old behaviors aren't Disrupted, and White Space isn't deployed to develop new solutions to market challenges there is no real improvement in the business.  Far quicker than expected, cost increases return.  Competitive challengers create advantages by altering their behaviors.  And the goal of improved business returns remains illusive.  The 2009 New Year's resolution for businesses needs to be focused on changing old behaviors which will lead to the desired result – better profitability which can be maintained.  When business leaders focus on Competitors, Disruptions and White Space improved profitability is the short- and long-term result.