Here are the three most important pitfalls and success factors we’ve discovered. Our research shows that these three elements can make you and your loved ones ten times more likely to succeed.
Mistake #1: We attack people with information.
We assume that, if the person only knew what we knew, they’d change. The problem is, often they already know what we know, plus more.
.. Solution: People need to examine their own narrative.
When you’re trying to influence people who need motivation, but not information, don’t offer more information. Instead, work to create a safe environment where they can explore motivations they already have. People need to re-examine their narrative, especially any self-defeating or clever stories they are telling themselves to justify the status quo.
- “What is it that makes you even consider changing?”
- “If things worked out exactly the way you want, what would be different?
- “What are the pluses and minuses of changing or not changing?”
- “If this change were easy, would you want to make it? What makes it hard?”
Mistake #2: We fail to see why we’re stuck.
Getting someone to make a commitment to change is not the same as getting them to actually change. The problem is that people overestimate the power of their own willpower. They fail to see the risks in front of them. So, they put their heart and soul into an effort, but it’s not enough. They are tripped up by obstacles they never anticipated.
We need to recognize the hidden influences around us, the influences that are keeping us stuck. Once we see them, we can deal with them. We group influences into six sources: three that motivate and three that enable.
- Personal Motivation ..
- Social Motivation ..
- Structural Motivation ..
- Personal Ability ..
- Social Ability ..
- Structural Ability ..
Most stubborn problems persist because of unseen or overlooked influences that are keeping us stuck. Once we see them, we can change them. However, if we don’t change them, we’ll remain stuck.
.. Another mistake is to have favorite solutions, and to use them in isolation. For example, we assume carrots and sticks will solve every problem, or that training or technology will. As a result, we create one-sided solutions that address only a few of the obstacles that are keeping us stuck.