Influencer part 4

Sorry for the delay, things got crazy. So here is the wrap-up for the Influencer class I attended last week. For Friday's session, Ron McMillan presented.

He started out by reminding us that the goal here is not just change, but to improve things. One of the responsibilities we have in life is to influence others. We have to be careful about that because it is not about control on compulsion, but teaching and persuasion. There is a real difference. In fact, Ron posited that the most important capacity we possess is our ability to influence behavior - our own and that of others.

To make a change, you have to ask two questions: can I do it and do I want to do it? If you come up with yes to those, you really can change. Successful influencers will then go further and use all six sources to make change happen. The key is to use the multiple sources of influence since a problem usually has multiple and complex causes. Look at how successful the "Just Say No" campaign was in America. It really only tried to go for verbal persuasion, without dealing with the many complex issues involved.

We really can make a difference in others' lives. We really are social animals and are here in groups. There is a reason churches exist - they give us a community of support for the family. One interesting study he shared showed that in cases of bullying at school, if even on person just yells out "cut that out" 70% of the time the bully will stop. How hard is it to just yell that out? We can make the difference.

Another of my favoirite elements is the idea of space. Analizing our envioronment is important to helping us change. So if we are trying to lose weight, maybe it is just better that we don't have the ice cream in the freezer. We can structure our environment to encourage the changes we want to make.

What strikes me about all of this is that it requires action. You have to act, and not be acted on, react, or just sit there. Change require action.

OK - so what is one thing that you want to change? What is the vital behavior that if you did it, would help you the most to get to that change? Once you identify that, then it is tapping into as many sources of influence as you can to do the vital behavior. Of course you have to want to change and must have the tool, knowledge and acumin to change. It is also helpful to have the right people around you that will encourage and enable you. And don't forget about the rewards and the environment.

Pick something you want to change and do it!

So that's the recap. This session was really a summary of the other three days. But, if you would like to see this subject addressed by the authors in an MIT Sloan article, click here.

In the end, this is really good stuff. I fully recommend the book and the training if it is available to you.