The Right Direction - One of My Biggest Mistakes….
Our motivations are pretty simple, with two basic choices. We act to move away from something unpleasant, or towards something appealing. Depending on your outlook, most situations offer both choices - but the differences in how (or if) they get results can be subtle, and powerful…. Differences which I have, in the past, hugely underestimated….
Look at all the conflicting arguments flying around over Europe (don’t worry – I’m not about to fuel the in-or-out debate). The vast majority of the arguments being put forward are ‘away from’. Away from the bureaucracy, away from uncontrolled immigration, away from the cost and complexity of going it alone. And that’s no accident – because away-from is more likely to get us to act, and they want us to vote.
But look instead, at where great leaders have inspired continued action. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech painted a compelling picture of the world that could be – it harnessed that immense power of ‘towards’. It worked.
Few of us are playing on the stage of International Politics – but every one of us has to influence other people, so understanding these motivations is important. It makes us more effective…
Many years ago, I accepted a role with a company who’d grown tenfold over the preceding 25 years. Their product range was impressive, and they genuinely believed themselves to be world class.
But here was my challenge – productivity was 25%. For three quarters of the time, our manufacturing lines weren’t making product; and that’s leagues away from world class. Big change was needed, and it was my job to lead it. Our site Director had such a transition before. We both knew what world class looks and feels like – but we made a fundamental mistake. We made it ‘away from’.
Every communication centred around the ease with which production could be moved away from our site to somewhere cheaper, and the risks we were taking by remaining so inefficient. It all made logical, practical sense. And it monumentally failed .
Far from inspiring or energising, we burst their bubble, shattered their belief in their own excellence. Instead of people taking action, making the changes we were there to support; the whole organisation descended into malaise. And it took about six months to recover. It was a costly mistake - one from which I’ve learned. So now, when I design organisational change, I spend more time understanding the audience's range of motivations. We strike a much better balance between towards and away from. The best of both worlds.
On whatever scale you’re trying to influence, whether it’s changing your organisation, or getting your kid to eat their veg, how can you better harness ‘towards’? How well do you know your audience, and what matters to them?
By the time I left the organisation, productivity had more than doubled, and was still improving month-on-month. We recovered from the mistake, and it’s one I intend never to repeat!