Change The Way You Change Minds

As we prepare for the 2009-10 season, we are putting toghether various ways to develop leadership on our staff, and on our team. We know that one of the things we must do is to change minds.

In the book "Influencer-The Power To Change Anything", chapter three is titled "Change The Way You Change Minds".

The chapter discusses Dr. Albert Bandura, he set out to create a theory of why people do what they do so that he and his colleagues could then come up with a method for getting them to act differently. As you know, that's our busines, constantly working to change and shape behaviors.




Here's what Dr. Bandura learned:

1. People choose their behaviors based on that they think will happen as a result. If you want to change a behavior, you have to change maps of cause and effect.
2. Many thoughts are incomplete or inaccurate. People's interpretations of events often trump the facts of any situation.
3. The factors influencing whether people choose to enact a vital behavior are based on two essential expectations. First: Is it worth it? (If not, why waste the effort?) Second: Can they do this thing? (If not, why try?) If you want to change behavior, change one or both of these expectations.
4. The most common tool we use to change others' expectations is the use of verbal persuasion.
5. When it comes to resistant problems, verbal persuasion rarely works. People aren't about to give up what gives them intense pleasure because of a well-turned phrase.
6. The great persuader is personal experience. Nothing changes a mind like the cold, hard world hitting it with actual real-life data.
7. Create a surrogate for actual experience. Create a vicarious experience. By watching what happened to other people. Examples from other teams.