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Making Seamless Switches
- 1. Making Seamless Switches Presented by Deb Blatt Group Restoration
- 2. Objective Introduce the framework to making change by applying the concepts from Switch, How to Change Things When Change is Hard
- 3. What We Will Cover Why change is hard The need to do three things at once: ● Direct the rider, the rational system of our brain ● Motivate the elephant, the emotional system of the brain ● Shape the path Apply strategies for day-to-day change initiatives
- 4. Consider Your Changes Think of a change you willing embraced ● What were the characteristics of the change that caused you to embrace it? Think of a change that you resisted ● What were the characteristics of the change that caused you to resist it?
- 6. The Brain Isn’t of One Mind Rationale Side - the conscious will ● The Rider
- 7. The Brain Isn’t of One Mind Emotional Side –unconscious mind ● The Elephant
- 8. Brain Science The Rational Mind – which often likes change and understands that it is good The Emotional Mind – which fights change because it’s easier to stay the same.
- 9. Two Major Themes: The brain has an organizing principle to minimize danger (an away response) and maximize reward (a toward response) Thus when approached with change we: Apply cognitive biases without being aware of them Relying on habitual mental tools (heuristics) to make decisions Brain Science of Human Interaction AWAY response TOWARD response
- 10. Why Change is Hard The Brain Science ● The away response is stronger, faster, and longer lasting than the toward response ● The away response can reduce cognitive resources, make it harder to concentrate on your thinking, make you more defensive, and incorrectly class certain situations as threats ● Once an emotion kicks in, trying to suppress it either doesn’t work or makes it worse
- 11. Why Change is Hard 70-90% - habits 10-30% - deliberate thought
- 12. Away Toward Threat Reward Brain Activity Response
- 13. Cognitive Biases Bias What It Is Endowment effect Tendency to overvalue what we already have. Loss or regret aversion People hate losing twice as much as they like winning. Social proof When uncertain, people turn to others whom they admire or respect to make a decision. Reciprocity One favor for another. Confirmation bias The tendency to seek or be swayed by information that confirms our position.
- 14. Why Change is Hard Our brains are not designed for change. ● While human change appears hard, change in the brain is constant Attention goes all too easily to the threat Once you focus attention away from threat, you can create new connections
- 15. Why Change is Hard Our ability to pay attention is quite limited Focused attention changes the brain Creating long-term change requires paying regular attention to deepening new circuits
- 16. Why Change is Hard
- 18. The Framework
- 19. The Brain Isn’t of One Mind Rationale Side - the conscious will ● The Rider
- 20. The Brain Isn’t of One Mind Emotional Side –unconscious mind ● The Elephant
- 21. For Change to Happen REMEMBER… • What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity • Action: Direct the Rider REMEMBER… • What looks like laziness is often exhaustion • Action: Motivate the Elephant REMEMBER… • What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem • Action: Shape the Path
- 22. Direct the Rider Bright Spots Critical Moves Destination Motivate the Elephant Find Feeling Shrink the Change Grow the People Shape the Path Tweak Environment Build Habits Rally the Herd The Framework Change isn’t an event; it’s a process Change
- 23. Reach both Riders and Elephants The Rider can lead the Elephant in circles
- 24. Reach both Riders and Elephants Reaching the Elephant can create passion without direction…
- 25. Reach both Riders and Elephants When the Elephant and the Rider move together, change can come easily
- 26. Direct the Rider
- 27. Direct the Rider Follow the Bright Spots Script the Critical Moves Point to the Destination
- 28. Bright Spots Focus attention on what is working, what can be
- 29. How to Find the Bright Spots
- 30. Exception Question When was the last time you saw this working?
- 31. Miracle Question Suppose a miracle happens and all the problems that brought you here… are resolved What’s the first small sign you’d see that would make you think, “Well something must have happened – the problems are gone?”
- 32. Script the Critical Moves Knowledge does not change behavior What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity
- 33. Script the Critical Moves
- 34. Script the Critical Moves Focus on the critical steps
- 35. Clarity dissolves resistance What steps can you glean from the bright spots? What are the small first steps that need to be taken? What abstraction and ambiguity can you eliminate? Script the Critical Moves
- 36. Point to the Destination Destination Postcards
- 37. Point to the Destination Destination Postcards Gut–smacking goal that appeals to both the Rider and the Elephant They show the Rider where you are headed and show the Elephant why the journey is worthwhile May require Black and White goals in certain situations (NO cookies in the house – ever!) Connect the long-term goal – the destination – with the short-term critical moves
- 38. Directing the Rider When appealing to the Rider keep the game plan simple: ● What’s the end – what’s the outcome? ● What’s the first thing to act on? ● Don’t worry about the middle
- 39. Give it a Try Consider the Switch you’d like to happen What can you do to Direct the Rider? ● What bright spots can you follow? ● What critical steps can you script? ● What’s the destination postcard?
- 41. Motivate the Elephant Find the feeling Shrink the change Grow your people
- 44. Find the Feeling Negative emotions tend to have a “narrowing-effect”
- 45. Find the Feeling Feelings need to instill hope, optimism and excitement
- 46. Shrink the Change Get the elephant moving
- 47. Shrink the Change You want to focus on small wins that have two traits: ● They are meaningful ● They are within immediate reach
- 49. Grow Your People Our brains and our abilities are like muscles. They can be strengthened with practice. And our inspiration to change ourselves comes from our desire to live up to those identities.
- 50. Grow Your People What identities can be cultivated? Who am I? What would someone like me do in this situation?
- 52. The Growth Mindset 1. You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change that. 2. No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially. 3. You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can't really be changed. 4. You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are.
- 54. Motivating the Elephant Small steps that create a sense of movement forward
- 55. Give it a Try Consider the Switch you’d like to happen What can you do to Motivate the Elephant? ● What feeling can you ignite? ● How can you shrink the change? ● How can you grow the people? Identity
- 56. Shape The Path
- 57. Shape The Path Tweak the Environment Build Habits Rally the Herd
- 58. It’s the Situation, Not the Person
- 59. Tweak the Environment Beware of the Fundamental Attribution Error We attribute people’s behavior to the way they are rather than to the situation they are in.
- 60. Tweak the Environment Eliminate bottlenecks
- 61. Tweak the Environment Consistency
- 62. Build Habits Action Triggers
- 63. Build Habits Notice the appeal to both the Rider and the Elephant?
- 64. Build Habits Piggyback a new habit on an old one
- 65. Build Habits Short Checklists
- 66. Rally the Herd
- 67. Rally the Herd Be smart about social pressure - it’s contagious!
- 68. Rally the Herd Shine a spotlight on early signs of success.
- 69. Give it a Try Consider the Switch you’d like to happen What can you do to Shape the Path? ● How can you tweak the environment? ● How can you build habits? ● How can you rally the herd?
- 70. What’s Next? What needs to happen now? ● What are your critical next steps? What support do you need for your Elephant (motivation)? What can you do to Shape the Path to make change easier?
- 71. Questions?
- 72. Best of continued success! Thank you! Deb Blatt deb@grouprestoration.com www.grouprestoration.com 413-698-2888
Editor's Notes
- Be – be better change agents….
- Why is it hard to make lasting change –even when the change is good for you? Change is hard because in the human brain, there is always an underlying tension between your rational mind (which likes long-term payoffs) and your emotional mind (which prefers instant gratification). To change things, you've got to find a way to appeal to both sides of your brain simultaneously. Usually, the best way to do that is to clear the way for these two different sides of your brain to work in unison rather than at cross purposes.
- One famous metaphor from Eastern philosophy involves the “Elephant and the rider,” where the conscious will, the rider, tries to control the larger and uncontrollable unconscious mind, the elephant. With the prefrontal cortex taking up just 4 percent of total brain volume, modern brain science seems to affirm the truth of this metaphor. The prefrontal cortex, central to conscious decision-making, has a degree of influence, but the rest of the brain is bigger and stronger. This points to the importance of increasing the strength of the networks linking the prefrontal cortex with the rest of the brain.
- Rationale Side - the conscious will, which comes from the pre-frontal cortex of the brain which takes up just 4 percent of the total brain volume. The reflective or conscious system tht deliberates and analyzes and looks to the future. To create the new neural connections, it requires a great deal of attention to the non-routine parts of the brain, and it depletes energy. Emotional Side – uncontrollable unconscious mind, the instinctive part, the part that feels pain and pleasure. The part of the brain that works from routine, repeat patterns, and the larger, hard- wired portion of the brain. When operating from routine, it requires less new neural mapping, less energy, and is less exhausting. Whenever we are trying to change something, our Riders often become mired in TBU analysis—“True But Useless.” What are the TBUs in your life? How do you move beyond the TBUs to help achieve your change The Heaths give examples of a railroad made profitable, a town reborn, and child abusers reformed by being as clear as possible about how people should act. (Remember the “1% milk” campaign.) They point out: What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. What actions can you script to achieve your personal goal? If your change involves others, how can you “script the critical moves” for them?
- Rationale Side - the conscious will, which comes from the pre-frontal cortex of the brain which takes up just 4 percent of the total brain volume. The reflective or conscious system tht deliberates and analyzes and looks to the future. To create the new neural connections, it requires a great deal of attention to the non-routine parts of the brain, and it depletes energy. Emotional Side – uncontrollable unconscious mind, the instinctive part, the part that feels pain and pleasure. The part of the brain that works from routine, repeat patterns, and the larger, hard- wired portion of the brain. When operating from routine, it requires less new neural mapping, less energy, and is less exhausting. Whenever we are trying to change something, our Riders often become mired in TBU analysis—“True But Useless.” What are the TBUs in your life? How do you move beyond the TBUs to help achieve your change The Heaths give examples of a railroad made profitable, a town reborn, and child abusers reformed by being as clear as possible about how people should act. (Remember the “1% milk” campaign.) They point out: What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. What actions can you script to achieve your personal goal? If your change involves others, how can you “script the critical moves” for them?
- [T]wo themes are emerging from social neuroscience. Firstly, that much of our motivation driving social behavior is governed by an overarching organizing principle of minimizing threat and maximizing reward (Gordon, 2000). Secondly, that several domains of social experience draw upon the same brain networks to maximize reward and minimize threat as the brain networks used for primary survival needs (Lieberman and Eisenberger, 2008). In other words, social needs are treated in much the same way in the brain as the need for food and water.
- Neuroscience research has found that our brain waves react when we perceive threats or rewards- we move away from or toward that which supports our SCARF perceptions. We use the working part of our brains – neo-cortex to make sense of things (change). Shuts down in times of stress and thus move away from threats Brain causes us to react – and literally goes into survival mode- we may be running with outdated instincts – but the science indicates when we can create more reward/toward responses – by being conscious of SCARF Status – no drop in- perceived loss Certainty – clarity of expectations, less ambiguity, what to expect next, here’s what’s going to happen Autonomy – choice in, voice in decisions Relatedness – for or against – neurons that reciprocate – fidgety, nervous – then they are too – or you become so- best leaders creating a rapport with others Fairness – need for sense of – light ups in the brain same as basic survival waves
- Each of us brings to the workplace - and to every other aspect of our lives - a powerful personal momentum that is made up of three powerful developmental forces: 1. The functioning of our brains that have evolved over time into an amazing human engine; 2. Early personal childhood experiences which imbed learnings that are pre-logic, pre-lingual and therefore inaccessible at a conscious level; and 3. Cultural influences that squeeze us into a mold of expected behaviors in order to be accepted by our “tribe.” All of these forces are at work unconsciously, and some are not even consciously accessible to us.
- This is not accidental - It is how our brains are wired. Our ability to act intentionally is restricted because we exhaust our attentional resources quickly. When we are paying attention, we are attempting to displace automatic and powerful loops that define our habits. In other words, our efforts to change are small pushes against the powerful, personal momentum that is who we are. First, remember that change happens over time in small and incremental actions. So putting together a step-by-step plan for change can be extremely helpful. When we determine small changes to behavior and practice them until they begin to become automated, we are displacing already established habits. Think of it as a behavioral map.
- One famous metaphor from Eastern philosophy involves the “Elephant and the rider,” where the conscious will, the rider, tries to control the larger and uncontrollable unconscious mind, the elephant. With the prefrontal cortex taking up just 4 percent of total brain volume, modern brain science seems to affirm the truth of this metaphor. The prefrontal cortex, central to conscious decision-making, has a degree of influence, but the rest of the brain is bigger and stronger. This points to the importance of increasing the strength of the networks linking the prefrontal cortex with the rest of the brain.
- Rationale Side - the conscious will, which comes from the pre-frontal cortex of the brain which takes up just 4 percent of the total brain volume. The reflective or conscious system tht deliberates and analyzes and looks to the future. To create the new neural connections, it requires a great deal of attention to the non-routine parts of the brain, and it depletes energy. Emotional Side – uncontrollable unconscious mind, the instinctive part, the part that feels pain and pleasure. The part of the brain that works from routine, repeat patterns, and the larger, hard- wired portion of the brain. When operating from routine, it requires less new neural mapping, less energy, and is less exhausting. Whenever we are trying to change something, our Riders often become mired in TBU analysis—“True But Useless.” What are the TBUs in your life? How do you move beyond the TBUs to help achieve your change The Heaths give examples of a railroad made profitable, a town reborn, and child abusers reformed by being as clear as possible about how people should act. (Remember the “1% milk” campaign.) They point out: What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. What actions can you script to achieve your personal goal? If your change involves others, how can you “script the critical moves” for them?
- Rationale Side - the conscious will, which comes from the pre-frontal cortex of the brain which takes up just 4 percent of the total brain volume. The reflective or conscious system tht deliberates and analyzes and looks to the future. To create the new neural connections, it requires a great deal of attention to the non-routine parts of the brain, and it depletes energy. Emotional Side – uncontrollable unconscious mind, the instinctive part, the part that feels pain and pleasure. The part of the brain that works from routine, repeat patterns, and the larger, hard- wired portion of the brain. When operating from routine, it requires less new neural mapping, less energy, and is less exhausting. Whenever we are trying to change something, our Riders often become mired in TBU analysis—“True But Useless.” What are the TBUs in your life? How do you move beyond the TBUs to help achieve your change The Heaths give examples of a railroad made profitable, a town reborn, and child abusers reformed by being as clear as possible about how people should act. (Remember the “1% milk” campaign.) They point out: What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. What actions can you script to achieve your personal goal? If your change involves others, how can you “script the critical moves” for them?
- Direct the Rider, the rationale side of the brain; the Rider holds the reigns to thinking. Motivate the Elephant: the emotional side of the brain, the larger portion of the brain and the one with more power to stay in routine behavior. The elephant get us to take action or not. Shape the Path: Making adjustments to the situation or the environment makes change more likely regardless of what’s happening with the Rider and the Elephant. When we try to change things, we are tinkering with behaviors that have become automatic, and changing those behaviors requires directed attention from the Rider. The bigger the change, the more it depletes people’s self-control. When people exhaust their self-control, there are exhausting the mental muscles to think creatively, to focus, to inhibit their impulses, and to persist in the face of frustration or failure. They are exhausting exactly the mental muscles needed to make a big change.
- Direct the Rider, the rationale side of the brain; the Rider holds the reigns to thinking. Motivate the Elephant: the emotional side of the brain, the larger portion of the brain and the one with more power to stay in routine behavior. The elephant get us to take action or not. Shape the Path: Making adjustments to the situation or the environment makes change more likely regardless of what’s happening with the Rider and the Elephant. When we try to change things, we are tinkering with behaviors that have become automatic, and changing those behaviors requires directed attention from the Rider. The bigger the change, the more it depletes people’s self-control. When people exhaust their self-control, there are exhausting the mental muscles to think creatively, to focus, to inhibit their impulses, and to persist in the face of frustration or failure. They are exhausting exactly the mental muscles needed to make a big change.
- Focusing on reaching the Rider but not the Elephant will provide understanding without motivation. The Rider can lead the Elephant in circles. Reaching the Elephant but not the Rider, people will have passion without direction. A reluctant Elephant and a wheel-spinning Rider can both ensure that nothing changes. When the Elephant and the Rider move together, change can come easily.
- Focusing on reaching the Rider but not the Elephant will provide understanding without motivation. The Rider can lead the Elephant in circles. Reaching the Elephant but not the Rider, people will have passion without direction. A reluctant Elephant and a wheel-spinning Rider can both ensure that nothing changes. When the Elephant and the Rider move together, change can come easily.
- Focusing on reaching the Rider but not the Elephant will provide understanding without motivation. The Rider can lead the Elephant in circles. Reaching the Elephant but not the Rider, people will have passion without direction. A reluctant Elephant and a wheel-spinning Rider can both ensure that nothing changes. When the Elephant and the Rider move together, change can come easily.
- Finding bright spots solves many different issues at once. Our Rider will focus on the bad versus the good without conscious effort. He wants to see and solve problems. That why it’s important to focus attention on what is working, what can be. Provide a solution focus instead of a problem focus. Jerry Sternin – how to fight malnutrition in Vietnam. Add shrimp, crab and sweet potato greens to the rice and feed four times a day in smaller portions. Xolair – teaching the docs how to administer Bobby- the one class that was better. AI – positive stories unlike data or lists, stir imaginations and generate excitement about the company and what is capable of being accomplished,
- Ask the exception question: When was the last time you saw a little of the miracle happening? Where are things working? How do we get more of that? What does it look like? What do you want it to be? What do you see and hear?
- The “miracle” question: Suppose a miracle happens and all the problems that brought you here are resolved. What’s the first small sign you’d see that would make you think, “Well something must have happened – the problems are gone!”? What would be different? How would your days be different? What would you see happening? Describe it.
- What looks like resistance may be lack of clarity – that’s why you need to script the critical moves. Knowledge does not change behavior. The Rider instinctually looks for a big solution to a big problem. Knowing and understanding the complexity of the problem can be paralyzing knowledge. It may be Truthful, but Useless (TBU). The Rider needs to be pushed out of introspection, out of analysis. He needs a script that explains how to act. The clarity of what to do needs to be crystal clear. Ambiguity tires out the Rider and puts change efforts at risk. More choices are not better. When faced with too many choices the Rider can get exhausted. The brain gets overloaded and the Elephant takes over. You can’t script all the steps. Focus on the critical steps that will start the progression in the right direction.
- What looks like resistance may be lack of clarity – that’s why you need to script the critical moves. Knowledge does not change behavior. The Rider instinctually looks for a big solution to a big problem. Knowing and understanding the complexity of the problem can be paralyzing knowledge. It may be Truthful, but Useless (TBU). The Rider needs to be pushed out of introspection, out of analysis. He needs a script that explains how to act. The clarity of what to do needs to be crystal clear. Ambiguity tires out the Rider and puts change efforts at risk. More choices are not better. When faced with too many choices the Rider can get exhausted. The brain gets overloaded and the Elephant takes over. You can’t script all the steps. Focus on the critical steps that will start the progression in the right direction.
- Scripted Critical Moves Buy 1% milk Don't spend cash unless it makes cash Spend 10% more in our own county (Miner County) 125 client conversations per month and cite your colleagues' work
- When you describe a compelling destination, you are helping to correct one of the Rider’s great weaknesses, the tendency to get lost in analysis. In most change situations our first instinct is to offer up data: here’s why we need to change, here’s that data that indicates that. The Rider loves this; he will pour over the data, analyze it, and debate it. When you point to a destination the Rider starts applying his strengths to figure out how to get there. You need to choose how to use the Riders energy. By default he will obsess about which way to move or whether it’s necessary to move at all. You can direct that energy to help navigate toward the destination. You’ll be third graders
- When you describe a compelling destination, you are helping to correct one of the Rider’s great weaknesses, the tendency to get lost in analysis. In most change situations our first instinct is to offer up data: here’s why we need to change, here’s that data that indicates that. The Rider loves this; he will pour over the data, analyze it, and debate it. When you point to a destination the Rider starts applying his strengths to figure out how to get there. You need to choose how to use the Riders energy. By default he will obsess about which way to move or whether it’s necessary to move at all. You can direct that energy to help navigate toward the destination. Example Destination Post Cards You’ll be third graders A Breast Cancer Center that revolves around the patient and her needs No dry holes – We are going to crack the I.I (Institutional Investor) = I.I. or Die
- The Rider has many strengths and weaknesses. The good news is his strengths are substantial and his weaknesses can be migrated. Strengths: Visionary Willing to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gain (which is why he fights so often with the Elephant, who generally prefers immediate gratification) Clever tactician- give him a map and he will follow it perfectly Weaknesses: Limited reserves of strength Paralysis in the face of ambiguity and choice Relentless focus on problems rather than solutions When appealing to the Rider keep the game plan simple: Follow the bright spots- you are sure to find some things working. Don’t obsess about the failures, look for, investigate and clone the bright spots. Finding bright spots solves many different issues at once. Give the Rider direction Provide the destination postcard – the end Script the critical moves – the first thing that people can act on
- Behavior change happens mostly by speaking to people’s feelings. Creating ways for people to see and feel the change motivates the Elephant to make things happen. Which feelings do we want to ignite? Anger Hope Dismay Enthusiasm Fear Happiness Surprise
- Negative emotions tend to have a “narrowing-effect.” Fear and anger give us sharp focus, which is the same effect as putting on blinders. Positive emotions are designed to “broaden and build” our ability our thoughts and actions. The positive emotion of interest broadens what we want to investigate. We become more open to new ideas. The process of ANALYZE-THINK-CHANGE works best when parameters are known, assumptions are minimal and the future is not fuzzy. In most change situations the parameters aren’t well understood and the future is fuzzy. Because of the uncertainty that the change brings the Elephant is reluctant to move and analytical arguments will not overcome the reluctance. Most of the big problems we face are ambiguous and evolving. They don’t require people to buckle down and execute. To solve bigger, more ambiguous problems we need to encourage open minds, creativity and hope. People need to SEE- FEEL- CHANGE. Finding the feeling needs to instill hope and optimism and excitement. Waters at Target – colored M&Ms, IMAC computers in bright colors HopeLab - Remission computer games, don’t want to be a sick kid anymore Attila the Accountant
- Negative emotions tend to have a “narrowing-effect.” Fear and anger give us sharp focus, which is the same effect as putting on blinders. Positive emotions are designed to “broaden and build” our ability our thoughts and actions. The positive emotion of interest broadens what we want to investigate. We become more open to new ideas. The process of ANALYZE-THINK-CHANGE works best when parameters are known, assumptions are minimal and the future is not fuzzy. In most change situations the parameters aren’t well understood and the future is fuzzy. Because of the uncertainty that the change brings the Elephant is reluctant to move and analytical arguments will not overcome the reluctance. Most of the big problems we face are ambiguous and evolving. They don’t require people to buckle down and execute. To solve bigger, more ambiguous problems we need to encourage open minds, creativity and hope. People need to SEE- FEEL- CHANGE. Finding the feeling needs to instill hope and optimism and excitement. Waters at Target – colored M&Ms, IMAC computers in bright colors HopeLab - Remission computer games, don’t want to be a sick kid anymore Attila the Accountant
- Big changes come from a succession of small changes. The challenge is to get the Elephant moving, even if the movement is slow at first. The sense of progress is critical for the Elephant not to become demoralized. The Elephant is easily spooked, easily derailed and thus, needs reassurance even for the very first step of the journey.
- One way to shrink the change is to limit the investment you are asking for. When you create early success, what you are really doing is inspiring hope. Hope is precious to a change effort. You want to focus on small wins that have two traits: They are meaningful They are within immediate reach The Elephant has no trouble conquering small milestones. And as it does, something else happens. With each step the Elephant feels less scared and less reluctant, because things are working. With each step the Elephant starts feeling the change. Look for small wins… The Hotel Maids Two stamps on your car wash card 5 minute room rescue Ramsey Debt –reduction plan The miracle scale- 0-10 Track patient’s self reported progress
- Save the ST. Lucia parrot Consequence based decision making and decision making through identity Nurse turnover – what’s is working – why do you stay Brasilata – inventors Molly Howard – school story
- Read the following four sentences, and write down whether you agree or disagree with each of them: If you agreed with items 1 and 3, you're someone who has a "fixed mindset." And if you agreed with items 2 and 4, you tend to have a "growth mindset." (If you agreed with both 1 and 2, you're confused.) As we'll see, which mindset you have can help determine how easy it will be for you to handle failure, and how dogged you'll be in pursuing change. It might even determine how successful you are in your career. People who have a fixed mindset believe that their abilities are basically static. Maybe you believe you're a pretty good public speaker, an average manager, and a wonderful organizer. With a fixed mindset, you believe that you may get a little bit better or worse at those skills, but basically your abilities reflect the way you're wired. Your behavior, then, is a good representation of your natural ability, just as the swirled-and-sniffed first taste of wine is a good representation of the bottle you've bought. If you are someone with a fixed mindset, you tend to avoid challenges, because if you fail, you fear that others will see your failure as an indication of your true ability and see you as a loser (just as a bad first taste of wine leads you to reject the bottle). You feel threatened by negative feedback, because it seems as if the critics are saying they're better than you, positioning themselves at a level of natural ability higher than yours. You try not to be seen exerting too much effort. (People who are really good don't need to try that hard, right?) Think about tennis player John McEnroe as a young star-he had great natural talent but was not keen on rigorous practice or self-improvement.
- The paradox of the growth mindset – the drop the feeling of failure in the middle creates optimism. We are learning –. The growth mindset is a buffer against defeatism. not failing
- What I Can See What I am up against—my situation What I am trying to do—my intentions What you are doing—your actions What effect you have on me—your impact What I Cannot See What I am actually doing—my actions What effect I have on you—my impact What you’re up against—your situation What you are trying to do—your intentions We judge our self by our intent; what we mean to say or do. We judge others by their actions; their behavior. We are quick to judge others and slow to judge ourselves.
- Emphasize “tweak.” You don’t need to rearrange the walls in your building. You don’t need to change the compensation structure of your business. Do a 5-min rescue on your environment. What one thing can you shift to make the right behaviors more likely? Do a “motion study”. If you’re trying to make a behavior easier, study it. Note where there are bottlenecks and where they get stuck. Then try to rearrange the environment to remove those obstacles. Provide signposts that show people which way to turn (or that celebrate the progress they’ve made already). Eliminate steps. Shape the path. Can you run the McDonalds playbook? Think of the way McDonalds designs its environment so that its employees can deliver food with incredible consistency, despite a lack of work experience (or an excess of motivation). They pay obsessive attention to every step of the process. The ketchup dispenser, for instance, isn’t like the one in your fridge. It has a plunger on top that, when pressed, delivers precisely the right amount of ketchup for one burger. That way, if you have to deliver 10 burgers in a minute, you don’t have to think at all. You just press the plunger 10 times. Have you looked at your own operations through that lens? Have you made every step as easy as possible on your employees? Avoid the Fundamental Attribution Error. Think about the people who are resisting the change efforts at work. Are you guilty of the Fundamental Attribution Error with them? (I.e., have you concluded that they are “foot-draggers” or “fossils”?) Remember the story of Amanda Tucker—the Nike manager who became a better communicator when her office was rearranged to eliminate email distractions. As a thought experiment, ask yourself, in what environment might be “foot-dragging” colleagues suddenly become change champions? Can you 1-Click your process?
- Emphasize “tweak.” You don’t need to rearrange the walls in your building. You don’t need to change the compensation structure of your business. Do a 5-min rescue on your environment. What one thing can you shift to make the right behaviors more likely? Do a “motion study”. If you’re trying to make a behavior easier, study it. Note where there are bottlenecks and where they get stuck. Then try to rearrange the environment to remove those obstacles. Provide signposts that show people which way to turn (or that celebrate the progress they’ve made already). Eliminate steps. Shape the path. Can you run the McDonalds playbook? Think of the way McDonalds designs its environment so that its employees can deliver food with incredible consistency, despite a lack of work experience (or an excess of motivation). They pay obsessive attention to every step of the process. The ketchup dispenser, for instance, isn’t like the one in your fridge. It has a plunger on top that, when pressed, delivers precisely the right amount of ketchup for one burger. That way, if you have to deliver 10 burgers in a minute, you don’t have to think at all. You just press the plunger 10 times. Have you looked at your own operations through that lens? Have you made every step as easy as possible on your employees? Avoid the Fundamental Attribution Error. Think about the people who are resisting the change efforts at work. Are you guilty of the Fundamental Attribution Error with them? (I.e., have you concluded that they are “foot-draggers” or “fossils”?) Remember the story of Amanda Tucker—the Nike manager who became a better communicator when her office was rearranged to eliminate email distractions. As a thought experiment, ask yourself, in what environment might be “foot-dragging” colleagues suddenly become change champions? Can you 1-Click your process?
- Set an action trigger. Don’t forget the very compelling research that demonstrates the effectiveness of action triggers. The power of action triggers is that decisions are “pre-loaded.” If you want to act in a new way (adopting a new exercise plan, being more diligent about your managerial reviews, etc.), picture the exact time and situation when you will execute the plan. For instance, I will check in on Julie’s progress tomorrow morning right after I’ve poured my first cup of coffee. (Note: the best action triggers are unique. Putting up the fifth Post-It note on your desk, or the 23rd calendar reminder in your email program is unlikely to act as a good cue.) Can you piggyback a new habit on an old one? It’s easiest to start a new routine when you can build it onto an existing routine that happens at a regular time and place. If you often forget to take your vitamins in the morning, put the vitamin bottle on top of the toothpaste. You know you’re going to remember to brush your teeth, so you can “piggyback” your vitamin habit on your toothbrushing habit. Similarly, it might be easier for hospitals to get doctors to wash their hands if they put sanitizer levers beside the trays where they pick up a patient’s chart— squeeze and rub before picking up the chart. Create a checklist. Suppose you had a five-item checklist for the most important routines in your business. What 5 things do you need to do every time? (Note we’re not advocating long checklists. The preflight checklist to launch a 747 is less than a page!)? Stand up your meetings. We discussed the power of the “stand-up meeting” as a way to keep discussions brief and focused. Given the way your meetings have evolved, what habits have you implicitly encouraged (whether good or bad)? Are there ways you could alter the format of your meetings—the routine—to make them more effective? If so, set an action trigger—I’m going to pilot this new “meeting style” next Thursday with the staff meeting. Publicize your action triggers. What is the aspect of your change efforts that people tend to put off, or that tends to get displaced in favor of more “urgent” work? Ask your team to set action triggers – and to announce their intentions publicly in a meeting.
- If you want to act in a new way (adopting a new exercise plan, being more diligent about your managerial reviews, etc.), picture the exact time and situation when you will execute the plan. For instance, I will check in on Julie’s progress tomorrow morning right after I’ve poured my first cup of coffee. (Note: the best action triggers are unique. Putting up the fifth Post-It note on your desk, or the 23rd calendar reminder in your email program is unlikely to act as a good cue.)
- Set an action trigger. Don’t forget the very compelling research that demonstrates the effectiveness of action triggers. The power of action triggers is that decisions are “pre-loaded.” If you want to act in a new way (adopting a new exercise plan, being more diligent about your managerial reviews, etc.), picture the exact time and situation when you will execute the plan. For instance, I will check in on Julie’s progress tomorrow morning right after I’ve poured my first cup of coffee. (Note: the best action triggers are unique. Putting up the fifth Post-It note on your desk, or the 23rd calendar reminder in your email program is unlikely to act as a good cue.) Can you piggyback a new habit on an old one? It’s easiest to start a new routine when you can build it onto an existing routine that happens at a regular time and place. If you often forget to take your vitamins in the morning, put the vitamin bottle on top of the toothpaste. You know you’re going to remember to brush your teeth, so you can “piggyback” your vitamin habit on your toothbrushing habit. Similarly, it might be easier for hospitals to get doctors to wash their hands if they put sanitizer levers beside the trays where they pick up a patient’s chart— squeeze and rub before picking up the chart. Create a checklist. Suppose you had a five-item checklist for the most important routines in your business. What 5 things do you need to do every time? (Note we’re not advocating long checklists. The preflight checklist to launch a 747 is less than a page!)? Stand up your meetings. We discussed the power of the “stand-up meeting” as a way to keep discussions brief and focused. Given the way your meetings have evolved, what habits have you implicitly encouraged (whether good or bad)? Are there ways you could alter the format of your meetings—the routine—to make them more effective? If so, set an action trigger—I’m going to pilot this new “meeting style” next Thursday with the staff meeting. Publicize your action triggers. What is the aspect of your change efforts that people tend to put off, or that tends to get displaced in favor of more “urgent” work? Ask your team to set action triggers – and to announce their intentions publicly in a meeting.
- Set an action trigger. Don’t forget the very compelling research that demonstrates the effectiveness of action triggers. The power of action triggers is that decisions are “pre-loaded.” If you want to act in a new way (adopting a new exercise plan, being more diligent about your managerial reviews, etc.), picture the exact time and situation when you will execute the plan. For instance, I will check in on Julie’s progress tomorrow morning right after I’ve poured my first cup of coffee. (Note: the best action triggers are unique. Putting up the fifth Post-It note on your desk, or the 23rd calendar reminder in your email program is unlikely to act as a good cue.) Can you piggyback a new habit on an old one? It’s easiest to start a new routine when you can build it onto an existing routine that happens at a regular time and place. If you often forget to take your vitamins in the morning, put the vitamin bottle on top of the toothpaste. You know you’re going to remember to brush your teeth, so you can “piggyback” your vitamin habit on your toothbrushing habit. Similarly, it might be easier for hospitals to get doctors to wash their hands if they put sanitizer levers beside the trays where they pick up a patient’s chart— squeeze and rub before picking up the chart. Create a checklist. Suppose you had a five-item checklist for the most important routines in your business. What 5 things do you need to do every time? (Note we’re not advocating long checklists. The preflight checklist to launch a 747 is less than a page!)? Stand up your meetings. We discussed the power of the “stand-up meeting” as a way to keep discussions brief and focused. Given the way your meetings have evolved, what habits have you implicitly encouraged (whether good or bad)? Are there ways you could alter the format of your meetings—the routine—to make them more effective? If so, set an action trigger—I’m going to pilot this new “meeting style” next Thursday with the staff meeting. Publicize your action triggers. What is the aspect of your change efforts that people tend to put off, or that tends to get displaced in favor of more “urgent” work? Ask your team to set action triggers – and to announce their intentions publicly in a meeting.
- Be smart about social pressure. If the majority of people on your team are already following the new plan, then publicize that fact. Social pressure will influence the others to conform. But beware if only a minority is doing something. Publicizing this fact may lead others to slack off. Solution: Can you set up a free space to protect your pro-change minority from being squelched or co-opted? (In essence, a free space turns a minority into a majority.) Design a free space. Remember the medical interns whose afternoon rotations served as a “free space,” allowing them to build strength and plan their approach. There are many ways to create a free space. The “skunkworks” – a totally separate, offsite facility – is a dramatic version of a free space. But there are less dramatic methods that can still be effective. ? Maybe you can reserve a temporary workspace for them to occupy. You could set up a “war room” for them where they can meet and coordinate every day (even if it’s just a conference room). You could encourage them to take a “working lunch” every day where they could coordinate over a meal. Or perhaps they could meet an hour earlier (or later) than most people are in the office. If people embrace change, make sure their actions are visible. People who resist change may tend to cluster together and create a kind of “echo chamber.” They may conclude, falsely, that most people dislike the new direction as much as they do. As a manager, you can help fight the echo chamber by showcasing people who are actively supporting the change. Shine a spotlight on the early signs of success. If there’s a bright spot, make sure everyone knows about it.
- Be smart about social pressure. If the majority of people on your team are already following the new plan, then publicize that fact. Social pressure will influence the others to conform. But beware if only a minority is doing something. Publicizing this fact may lead others to slack off. Solution: Can you set up a free space to protect your pro-change minority from being squelched or co-opted? (In essence, a free space turns a minority into a majority.) Design a free space. Remember the medical interns whose afternoon rotations served as a “free space,” allowing them to build strength and plan their approach. There are many ways to create a free space. The “skunkworks” – a totally separate, offsite facility – is a dramatic version of a free space. But there are less dramatic methods that can still be effective. ? Maybe you can reserve a temporary workspace for them to occupy. You could set up a “war room” for them where they can meet and coordinate every day (even if it’s just a conference room). You could encourage them to take a “working lunch” every day where they could coordinate over a meal. Or perhaps they could meet an hour earlier (or later) than most people are in the office. If people embrace change, make sure their actions are visible. People who resist change may tend to cluster together and create a kind of “echo chamber.” They may conclude, falsely, that most people dislike the new direction as much as they do. As a manager, you can help fight the echo chamber by showcasing people who are actively supporting the change. Shine a spotlight on the early signs of success. If there’s a bright spot, make sure everyone knows about it.