Be an Influencer

We just finished the book “Influencer: The Power to Change Anything” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et. al. The authors lay out a simple formula to create useful shifts in people’s behaviors and perspectives. It is an excellent read for business owners to improve their understanding of human behavior and glean useful techniques to manage and run their business.

This book is a continuation of previous books and approaches focused on how to influence others, which include Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” as well as NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming and numerous motivational speakers, such as Zig Ziglar.

Human nature tends to resists change. We take the path of least resistance. Even if it means we repeat the same bad behavior. Unfortunately many approaches society currently takes to change behaviors, such as overeating, or drug use, fail to resolve those issues. A drug addict destroying his life will continue that behavior even if it means death. Why?

The Carrot or the Stick

The first concept is that the traditional approaches that focus on the carrot (positive motivation) or the stick (negative reinforcement) don’t work for most people in the long term. Any employer can testify that punishment is rarely successful in changing a bad employee’s behavior. Although praise works better, over time it tops off and become non-effective.

What is the difference between a non-leader and a successful leader? A true influencer knows how to break through a person’s natural resistance to change.

The authors outline the eight steps to influence other people. These include:

The authors of “Influencers” weave in various stories throughout the book that demonstrate how “true influencers” successfully impact massive amounts of people to change behaviors. These include stories from changing the behavior of sex workers in Thailand in order to reduce the spread of AIDS, to an organization in San Francisco that is successful in mainstreaming criminals while being self-sufficient, to a program that gave doctors a $10 Starbucks card to sterilize their hands.

Conclusion

The elements to successfully lead and influence people are not new. The problem is that our society has incorporated many non-successful approaches at the same time. There are many current theories and books in alignment with “Influencers.” Thus there are many other options that should match your style if this book falls flat for you.

Visit the website www.vitalsmarts.com for more information from the authors, which includes free resources and influencing assessment tools.

Also, contact Oak & Associates for your personal review of your agency’s management and operations or for information about how to improve your business.