How people think
People don’t have time to think everything through. Our days are busy and crowded and we are always under a great deal of time pressure. The world does not provide us with the luxury of carefully assessing every situation before we speak, or act.
How do we make the right decisions in any given moment, instead of standing paralyses not knowing what to do?
We rely upon our unconscious mind to make decisions for us – to save us thinking. Our minds use similarity and familiarity to get us through the day – opening doors, driving, responding to ‘Hello’s’ from people passing … a regular day full of activity.
Our experiences have formed our responses, our quick assessment of the situation enables us to relax and let our sub-conscious mind lead us in what to do. Easy?
It sounds like it should be, but our in-built processes are not without failings! We make huge assumptions about individuals in order to relate to them ‘in the moment’. We stereotype people and respond in the way we do because of what we think we see. Often it is the right response, but we can be completely wrong.
How we were raised, our experience of life, and our peer group all influence the sub-conscious decisions we make in how to respond and react! We also respond differently depending upon the context within which we find ourselves. We are influenced by our environment, and particularly those around is.
So how does this affect a leaders ability to encourage and influence decisions?
Framing the scene
One of the characteristics of our minds is that we see what we want to see, or what we are looking out for. If I buy a new car, I see many more of them on the roads that I ever had before. I am ‘tuned into’ their presence. When I go to an antiques shop, my wife and I notice different things in the store – things we are each personally drawn to looking at.
When you wish to influence a decision, your first step is to ‘frame’ the picture. Show someone a painting and they will look within the frame, and not see what is surrounding it. You have the opportunity to hold up the frame and place whatever you wish people to see in that frame. You are setting the agenda; the scope of their vision. You are encouraging them to focus upon what you wish.
Secondly, when working with a group, encourage them to have a truly collaborative approach to decision making, where common aims and intentions are clearly understood, and there is a shared knowledge and understanding. It makes it much easier to reach a decision, when the group retain their individual independence but are working more collaboratively ‘as one mind’.
The third influence is to encourage the person or people you are influencing to set aside the filters of their mind. Over a period of time we all create filters through which assessments are made – filters based on ‘prior knowledge’ or experience; filters that make
Don’t accept mediocrity
Whatever you do, never embrace the middle path for an easy life, or steer away from the decisions that should be made, in order to play safe.
Your role as a truly inspiring leader is to challenge the norm, by questioning everything. Never accept the response ‘We’ve always done it this way’ because there is always a better way!
Challenge organisational beliefs. Many companies hold themselves back simply because over the years they have adopted a certain approach, or expectation of who they are and what they do. They miss opportunities simply because they don’t stop to consider them!
A leader should accept the majority of their people will be change shy, risk averse and conflict avoiders. Your role is to set aside what are emotions and fears, to encourage everyone to see everything clearly and in context. A fear of failure hardly stacks up when set against being bold and making the right decision for the greater good of the organisation.
You should also recognise that individuals will wish to be seen as a ‘team player’. They will go with the apparent flow of the decision making process, instead of offering an opinion they may believe is different to the consensus, and therefore will sit uncomfortably with the rest. A leader should protect diversity, and ensure that differing ideas and suggestions can be equally raised and considered. Individuals need the security you provide of being able to speak up in the knowledge of a secure non-judgemental environment.
What will life look like?
Take a long look at the current situation with you team. People know in their hearts everything can be improved upon, so make it difficult for anyone to try and justify remaining as we are.
Paint a picture of what things will be like once improvements have been implemented. Take them through the steps of change, to instil confidence that the journey can be made. Don’t get drawn into detail at this stage, and stay with creating the vision. Paint the picture in colour. Contrast where we are now with what could be … Compel people to change!
Make it personal
People will be thinking two things in the forefront of their mind; how will this impact upon my life, and what’s in it for me?
Your role as leader is to encourage a more global mind-set. It should be ‘What’s in it for us as a company, not me, and more importantly how does it improve our customers experience?
Putting self aside and acting for the greater good of the team, and for the success of the business, is a key step to take towards maturity. To succeed, it has to be ‘our business first’.
Self-deception
People also have a great ability for intransigence, which is more difficult to overcome! Once they make a decision, particularly when it takes the form of a public declaration, they are extremely reluctant to ‘climb down’ from their original position, and change.
As leader you have to make it acceptable to change, comfortable for people to have a change of heart, and leave them with their pride and integrity intact in the eyes of others. There can be no recrimination for a change of mind or opinion, when set against greater opportunities or compelling facts.
One way of creating a ‘comfort zone’ for individuals, especially within team environments, where they feel able to change their mind, is to have a real commitment from everyone to interdependency. This is where we all matter to each other, we all care for each other, we all passionately believe in the best outcome and therefore if it takes one of us to have a change of mind, it will be embraced as a positive by the collective team.
This positivity is as equally important where there is a member of the team who has set themselves up as a ‘spokesperson’, and therefore feels they cannot climb down from their (often self-appointed) pedestal, as it is for an individual who is concerned their opinion will be seen as wrong, or they feel they are not worthy of having an opinion worth voicing.
It is a leader’s role to ensure every team member feels valued, accepted, and equal in voice with others in a group, and not simply compelled to rubber stamp the strongest or loudest of those around the table. Equally important is the leaders role in setting the scene for the discussion, but not offering their opinion first. Others will feel more compelled to agree with you – and a room full of ‘yes’ people will not provide the diversity of opinion and breadth of collaboration you will need. Influencing a discussion is not imposing your direction!
Influencing the outcome
We have talked about individuals first and foremost thinking about their own interests. When you put forward a proposal, it is good to include a number of benefits, which may appeal to different people in different ways. A single beneficial outcome may not compel enough people to support it enough.
There are also certain ‘triggers’ that individuals will respond to. The more you know your team, the more you will be able to engage them individually, with things that mean something to them, as well as appealing to the team.
Some will not commit to an initiative without proof it works elsewhere. Examples of where similar opportunities have been successful are always useful.
Pressure or persuasion?
It is easy for a leader to fall back on ‘position power’ rather than influencing and compelling individuals, and the team, to make their own decision. You can always force a decision on people if you are in a position to do it. However, the power that comes with a team making their own decision is immense. When they willingly agree to it, commit to it and want collectively to achieve it, they own it. It is not your decision, it is theirs, and they will strive to justify that decision much harder than if it had been your decision imposed upon them.
Who you are, influences what they decide
The first decision that is made by your team is whether they want to support you. A real feeling of friendship within the team encourages openness and working together. Having an approachable, open nature will encourage people to trust you, and more willingly listen to your suggestions.
Openness also requires you to have a degree of humility! If you don’t achieve a decision in your favour, be humble and accept it. If you impose a decision, you won’t have a team any more – just a collection of individuals working for a dictator! You won’t win every battle, so carefully choose the ones you want to win! Accepting some of your initiatives won’t proceed is not a mortal wound, instead it ensures that there is a healthy attitude within the way the business is collectively run!
