How To Get Others To Change. A Simple Idea Anyone Can Use.
Avoid the mistake everyone makes
It is so frustrating trying to persuade people to change.
People can seem so resistant:
- another department won’t send the information in the format you request
- your boss won’t agree to your brilliant project idea
- your team keeps forgetting to send you info for social media
- your daughter won’t do her homework
No doubt. You’ll have your own war stories.
The problem is not them though.
It’s you and the approach you are taking.
How to fail at change
It’s a mistake to expect change to happen like this:
ANALYSE-THINK-CHANGE
- We analyse a situation. See what’s going on.
2. Identify what needs to happen and why.
3. We then expect the change to occur. Because we’ve explained what needs to happen and why.
This appeals to our thinking mind. It seems obvious. But it doesn’t work.
For example:
Introducing new software in your company/team — you need to respond quickly to clients. The new software will help do this. So you explain all this to your team. But find some still use the old system and don’t book onto the training for the new system. You explain again the reasons why they need to use the new system. You get no change in behaviour.
The problem is you are fighting resistance and inertia. Change is exhausting for people. Offering reasons is like using a water pistol to put out a house fire. Totally powerless.
There is a better way.
How to get people to change
Jon Stegner worked for a large manufacturing company. He saw an opportunity to cut costs by $1 billion. It needed a shift in how they bought materials. But his bosses weren’t interested.
Every factory bought glove — 424 different kinds. Stegner piled the 424 kinds of gloves onto a conference table. He invited all division presidents to a meeting. Instead of papers and reports they were shocked to see the glove shrine.
The response was: ‘We buy all these different kinds of gloves? This is crazy. We’ve got to fix this.
(Source: The Heart of Change by John Kotter and Dan Cohen)
Stegner didn’t give reasons. He gave an experience.
This is how change happens:
SEE-FEEL-CHANGE
John Kotter collected evidence from 100 companies which shows this causes people to change.
Speak to feelings and people will alter their behaviour. Feelings are the engine room of change.
Think: How can you show them something that will make them feel something? Negative or positive feelings can both work well.
How can you generate feelings in others such as:
- becoming disturbed by your current situation
- feeling hopeful something better is possible
To do this effectively you need to understand the person you are trying to influence. What matters to them?
- Some people are bothered by the impact on individuals
- Some care about statistics and metrics
- Others are competitive and want to do better than their rivals
- Or they might be focused on what benefits them personally
What can you show people to create feelings? Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing:
- Invite a customer (or someone affected by the change) in to talk to your team
- Reveal a rival team/company has adopted the change and is doing much better than you
- Visit a project that is doing what you want to do. Get people inspired by seeing the results or effects.
- Tell a story of someone who criticized how you are doing
Attila the Accountant
Dan & Chip Heath wrote a brilliant book on change — Switch. They report the story of Attila the Accountant (not his real name). He was precise in his approach and needed everyone to follow the rules. One mistake on a report and he sent them back for correction. He ruled with an iron fist and a fierce reputation.
Struggling community organizations complained about how difficult this was for them. Despite Attila’s boss explaining he needed to cut the nonprofits some slack. They had limited resources. Were serving the disadvantaged. He was making their work more difficult.
Attila wouldn’t budge. Rules need to be followed.
So far Attila’s boss was following the Analyse-Think-Change model. Explaining the problem. Giving reasons why he needed to change. Result = resistance.
So he took Attila on a road trip when he visited some of these projects.
Attila saw their chaotic working environments. Run down offices. He saw the people they were working with. He realized the impact of delaying payments because of one error.
Attila changed.
Because of what he experienced.
He was still Attila though. Authoritarian and strict. Only now he was ruthless with anyone who delayed payment to the community organizations!
You need to create energy to get people moving. Only feelings do that. Reasons rarely generate positive energy.
Find the feeling and you’ll find change much easier.
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