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1-Page Summary of Influencer
Becoming an Influencer
You can become an influencer and change the world. You can help solve major problems in the world, such as poverty and disease, as well as smaller problems that irritate you on a daily basis. Behavior is stubborn but not set in stone; now, you have some methods to help people change themselves—including yourself.
That might sound like a lofty goal, but look at Mimi Silbert. She’s an influencer who helps people change their lives for the better through her work with Delancey Street Foundation, which gives offenders and homeless people jobs and teaches them to become productive members of society. In order to do that she focuses on just a few behaviors that will have the most impact overall. To find those pivotal behaviors you need to study what actually works instead of assuming you already know it all or thinking your way is right when in reality it isn’t working so well.
Next, search for “positive deviance.” This is the idea that people or organizations who are similar to you but have different problems can be used as examples of what not to do and how not to behave. You can find these people by searching for situations where there’s a problem in your organization, but in other organizations with similar characteristics (perhaps they’re from the same industry), there isn’t a problem. Then analyze what those organizations are doing differently and try it out for yourself. Look at recovery behaviors—the actions that people take when they want to change their behavior or avoid backsliding into old habits. For example, if six groups took the same training program but only one group consistently implemented its skills after taking the course, then look at those two groups and figure out why only one was successful in implementing new skills learned during training sessions. Focus on behaviors instead of theories because sometimes you might think something works just because you believe it will work; however, when put into practice without any preconceived notions about success rates or outcomes, this technique could prove useless or even detrimental. If members of the successful group joke around more than others, then note that this may be an important factor in determining whether employees successfully implement new skills learned during training sessions. If supervisors allow less challenges from employees, then note that as well; perhaps allowing some level of challenge helps ensure employee buy-in while also ensuring proper execution of newly acquired knowledge and skills.
As you develop your list of influencer tools, it’s important to remember that people often approach change with incomplete or inaccurate mental models. You don’t need to disprove their ideas or correct all their false beliefs; instead, focus on behavior. Just two questions determine if someone will succeed in changing how they behave: Is it worth the effort? If so, can they do it?
Instead of scaring people with statistics, use stories and examples to create a picture. Provide hope for the future by describing how things can be different in the future. Tell a story about how you changed yourself or someone else’s life for the better.
Influencers use six general strategies:
- Personal motivation – Addressing individual desires and values.
- Personal ability – Teaching crucial information and the new skills needed to act on it.
- Social motivation – Using peer pressure.
- Social ability – Helping people unite for support, rather than struggling alone.
- Structural motivation
(adding reward systems; getting people to be accountable).
