Blog Post: The Power to Change Anything

Here's a story about a hospital employee who instilled a culture of safety and mutual respect in an organization that sought to save lives at all costs -- including the emotional well-being of fellow workers.

This case study highlights a man who sought to help the working poor in Utah County develop the vital behavior
of investing rather than spending their tax returns.

There's another tale about a parent who transformed his district's worst-performing school to a nationally-recognized institution.

Each of these case studies comes from Vital Smarts, the organization that brought us Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations.  Here, rather than helping us address those intimidating conversations that need to happen, authors Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al share ways one can influence in others behaviors that lead to the success of a project, the reaching of a goal, or the opportunities of a lifetime.

As in this story about a woman who sought to lose weight and lead a healthier life for herself and her family.

My goals are not so grandiose (although I could stand to lose a few pounds).  Rather, I struggle to influence people in my organization in simpler ways.  For instance, I'd like attendees of my SystemVue classes not to call me to handle their login or password problems. I've told them that I'm not their man but, to paraphrase Dr. Harold Stolovitch, tellin' ain't influencin'.  There appear to be other motivators that I need to employ to convince my learners to consider the existing, approved methods to request a password reset.

The authors of influencer identify six sources of influence, some or all of which should be addressed in order to change behaviors in others.

1. Personal Motivation
2. Personal Ability
3. Social Motivation
4. Social Ability
5. Structural Motivation
6. Structural Ability

Reading how others have successfully applied these sources of influence is inspiring.  It'd be preferable, however, to practice applying them in my own life.  Fortunately, ASTD-Orange County is providing that opportunity.  On Wednesday, October 28, Cricket Buchler, a Vital Smarts facilitator, will join ASTD-Orange County for its Monthly Learning Event to introduce Influencer to our participants.  Better yet, she plans to hang around a few more hours in the afternoon to guide participants through the six sources of influence as we apply it to a real-life situation we're working through.

If I've influenced you at least to learn more about the event, feel free to check it out on our website at www.astdoc.org.