Influencer- The Power to Change Anything
No matter who you are, or what you do, you will never learn a more valuable or important set of principles and skills. Once you tap into the power of influence, you can reach out and help others work smarter, grow faster, live, look, and feel better, even save lives. The sky is the limit… for an Influencer.
-From the cover flap of the book.
This book is fascinating, complete, and truly unputdownableJ . This book is fascinating because it helps you decode your mind!
I am sure each one of us have at some point in time wanted to make a difference and have wished to be seen as more of an “influencer” in more than one ways, in various roles that we play , in our strategies, in our work environments and whenever we go through some tough questions, phases, we have attempted “influence” instinctively and taken a step forward. This book helps reader crystallize one’s ideas and gives that definite shape and brings the best from each reader.
In reading this book, one becomes aware about how simple “solutions” and how positive deviance can help identify them. This book is truly presents the blueprint- DNA of “science of Change” and helps reader to identify each step through critical factors and how to apply the same to any situation.
The principles in this book have the potential to change anyone’s world - by changing behaviors of individuals, families, communities and nations. Our ineffectiveness at influencing others stems from simple inability rather than any other flaw, motivation. To be an influencer one needs to expand one’s self image and power lies in continued learning.
My initial struggle while reading was making connections with classroom situations and life of a teacher, life of a teenage, community who lives and celebrates with peers and gets torn between expectations and realities. But by the time I found “vital behavior’s” a lot became easier, I felt connected and perspectives changed again. Some of these resonated with talk that we have in classroom situations with students.
Behaviors are actions and need reflective process.
Behaviors are not results or qualities they have direct impact on one’s learning.
Not all behaviors are equal, though they may look seeming similar.
Only a few are genuinely vital, and it is important to identify the Vital from clutter.
Some is not a number, being very specific helps in reflective process.
Ø Soon is not a time, it has to be specific, guided and may need hand holding, follow-up consistently.
This chart helps me connect with this books and this also reflects my understanding of this book in my work environment. This Chart also takes me back to “Drive”, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and I debated with self, about motivation, ability, personal desire, social mirrors, habits, mind set for intrinsic and extrinsic rewards and its impact for each one in any given situations– to demonstrate how the six sources can be applied in combination, to explore how each of these influence tools can be applied
Motivation
Ability
Personal
Make the undesirable desirable
Do students want to engage in the behaviors that are desirable?
Surpass your limits
Do students have specific skills the subject knowledge, soft skills, and strengths to do the right then even when it’s hardest?
Social
Harness peer pressure
Are other people including their peers, encouraging the right behavior and discouraging the wrong behavior?
Find strength in numbers
Do others provide the help, information, and resource required at particular times?
Structural
Design rewards and demand accountability
Are rewards, pay, promotions, performance reviews, perks, or costs encouraging the right behaviors or discouraging the wrong behaviors?
Change the environment
Are there enough cues to stay on course? Does the environment (tools, facilities, information, reports, proximity to others, policies) enable the right behaviors or discourage the wrong behaviors?
To become and effective influencer, it is important to address all six sources of influence, when designing an influence strategy. Say Personal motivation is the key factor for classroom situations. While working with students I think if one works on connecting vital behaviors with intrinsic motives is the path to success. Any “influencer” needs to know exactly what changes to bringing to play, in which order, and what are the chances of success.
Do individuals take personal satisfaction from doing the required activity? Does enacting vital behaviors’ itself bring people pleasure? If not how can one get people to do things they currently find loathsome, boring, insulting or painful? Can a teacher ever convince a “slow learner’, or a bully, to change their current behavior and associate themselves with new identity.
Here are my key take aways:-
Know what influence is. Influence is the ability to change our own behavior or the behavior of others.
Understanding the difference between influence and persuasion. When short-term isn’t enough, one needs influence. Persuasion is short term, while influence is about long term impact. Persuasion often involves getting verbal agreement or support, while influence requires changing minds, hearts, and actions. Persuasion may sound like bargain, may be more refined form of give and take and I guess this distinction between influence and perception helps me J
Realizing and Analyzing why most change efforts fail. Most change efforts fail because of our unrealistic expectations may be because we attempt old rules on newer situations and think that we may get- rather we will get different results. Not only we at times are inconsistent but also are irregular in our efforts and follow-up that is required and one often looks for one simple solution.
Understand and review unrealistic expectations get in the way. It’s not realistic to expect that student/ teenager or for that matter any Team member/ individual will change even when the consequences for not changing are enormous, everyone knows the consequence, and the change required is simple.
Reflecting upon Fundamental attribution error. The mistake is assuming people do things for only one reason, and sometimes one takes this as given!! One may fail to bring in desired results if his See- Do – Get cycle is not changing. Simply put- one needs paradigm shifts to be an effective Influencer.
It’s not one simple solution. Persistent and resistant problems last because one looks for one simple solution. There’s rarely one cause. It is rather recommended that analyze all six sources of influence to diagnose the problems. One can influence persistent and resistant behaviors when one knows the forces driving it. Identifying sub task, taking baby steps helps.
Why should one Use multiple strategies. Overwhelm the problem with resources. If one wants to improve one’s success 10 times, then rather than using 1or 2 strategies, using multiple say 4 or more may bring in high-leverage behaviors.
Identify effective results. Effective results are specific and measurable, they matter, and they’re time-bound.
The 3 strategies for finding vital behaviors. The 3 strategies for finding vital behaviors are: 1) insist on vital behaviors, 2) identify crucial moments, and 3) study positive deviance.
Insisting on vital behaviors. Vital behaviors are specific actions that dramatically influence the results. This is about focusing on the vital few behaviors that have cascading impact.
Identifying crucial moments. A crucial moment tells us when it’s time to act and our impulses are under control.
Study positive deviance. Study those who succeed where most others fail. Find the exceptions. . For example, one can follow projects, such as the Positive Deviance Initiative. You can ask your network, “who succeeds despite the odds?” and “what do they do differently?”
Share vicarious experiences. Rather than lecture or coerce, one can share vicarious experience to influence others. One simple way is to tell a story. This works if the audience identifies with the story and there is emotion involved. Another way is to have the people you want to influence see people in action. They can watch others perform the vital behaviors and learn simply by watching the successes and failures.
Motivation and ability. People do things because of motivation and ability. Another way to understand this it is “is it worth it?” and “Can I?”
Personal, social, and structural forces. When one analyzes motivation and ability, one can think in terms of personal forces, social forces, or structural forces. Personal forces would be what an individual wants and can do. Social forces would be what the group wants and can do. Structural forces would be the systems, processes, tools, and environment. It’s these 3 perspectives that give you a more complete view of the problem.
Think in six sources of influence. Know the six reasons why we do what we do: 1) personal motivation, 2) personal ability, 3) social motivation, 4) social ability, 5) structural motivation, and 6) structural ability.
Influencer is helping me understand why, where and how I need to focus and where I feel I am not effective. The Category helps me reflect upon each area and the specific examples, research; social learning theory is helping me connect to the specific points. This process is helping me understand if I was consistent, and if I failed, why I failed in my attempts to “influence”.
This book also led me to explore the website and take some tests! Vital smarts and other links have certainly helped me understand “influence” and “influencer”
My Burning Questions:-
How may I create a “protocol” for self to understand this seemingly simple rubric that will help me internalize this concept, rather than leaving it for a chance or not reviewing failures scientifically?
What changes will I bring in me, to be an effective “influencer” and will I have to mould myself again and again? Will these be situational? Will these be because each group of students will be different and I am not equipped / prepared to change myself so often?