Uphill Hopes and Downhill Habits

We are 30-plus days out from the hundreds of LinkedIn posts about New Year’s resolutions, ranging from getting in shape, to improving our marriages, training for a marathon, or learning a new skill in 2024. Yet, at this point in the year, nearly 80 percent of us have already failed to keep our resolution.

Why? In my own reflection, I realized that I’ve historically had uphill hopes with downhill habits.

This means that I’d rather ‘try’ my way to a new outcome rather than ‘train’ my way to a new outcome… which typically leads to less than desired results.

This year, I set out to accomplish three goals that I look at daily. One of those was to further my education, refine my public speaking skills, improve my writing, and push myself to reach a new learning plateau. I started this journey before the new year when I began my pre-residence work at Brown University. Leading up to my first session with my cohort, I had feelings of excitement, anxiety and a curiosity that I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

As we kicked off our first day of class and the first assignment was given, the tension in the room was palpable; we were asked to give a 2-minute, timed, impromptu speech. There were video cameras, faculty and communication coaches who would analyze my gestures, tone, posture, and delivery in front of 40-plus new colleagues in my cohort.

“Clear and concise message”

I completed my speech within the allotted time and felt that I delivered a clear and concise message. As I sat down, I realized I was sweating like I had just run a marathon (which if you know me… you know that I clearly don’t run marathons) and wondered why I felt so ill prepared for what should have been a standard task.

The issue? I had uphill hopes with downhill habits. Had I put in the time to get the desired result? Had I spent time watching my body language, practicing gestures, observing my posture?

The answer was no. This is the definition of downhill habits and yet my expectation was a homerun.

Accountability

Four days later, I met with my coach and watched the ‘instant replay’ of my speech. He meticulously crawled through my talk, pausing at key points, physically showing me my opportunities for improvement. Two pages of notes later, I had a blueprint.

So, am I done? No. This is simply the map to climb up the hill… now, I have to climb. And so, I’ve been practicing… and noticing the previous habits that I had said yes to, without even knowing it. I’m working on developing new habits — the types of habits that will allow me to satisfy my goal of refining my skills.

While the importance of improving public speaking is an order of magnitude smaller than being a better parent, partner or losing 20 pounds, I would argue that the blueprint is the same. If it’s going to happen, it’s up to me. And so, I’m engaging, asking for help, and then putting in the time to improve.

What’s Next?

As we turn the corner into March, how are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? As you examine your own opportunities, have you asked anyone around you to hold up the truth mirror? Accountability (in this case, from my coach) is critical to improvement as it’s the delineation between being ‘all outside’ (show) versus ‘all inside’ (grit).

Now more than ever, I’m done admiring the problem of having uphill hopes with downhill habits. Instead, I’m taking steps to reconcile my expectations and put in the work to achieve my desired outcome.

I’m grateful to so many of you that have reached out via DMs to share your own goals and struggles. And while I clearly don’t have all of the answers, I’m always happy to share my learnings, insights, and frameworks in hopes that it is helpful to you in your own journey.

Here’s to the climb uphill! Let’s go get it.

This piece was written by Bradd Busick, SVP and CIO at MultiCare Health (and recipient of CIO of the Year from the Seattle CIO ORBIE Awards).