Influencer

by Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan, Switzler

A Happiness Science Book Review

If you ever wanted to change something- yourself, your spouse, your community, or the world, and you were frustrated in your efforts, then this book is for you.

Kerry Patterson, author and principal researchers says,

The most important capacity you possess is your ability to influence behavior. Think about it—in almost any area of life—from business performance to personal health to relationship success—the most important problems we face will never be solved until we become better at influencing our own behavior or that of other people. And yet most of us stink at influence.

Influencer, the Power to Change Anything provides groundbreaking scientific research and practical advice that can be applied to personal changes, families, companies and cultures.

Statistics indicate that 80% of corporate change efforts fail. Many successful people struggle to lose weight or quit smoking. Destructive behaviors ruin relationships. We can see the goal, but our failure to influence the lasting changes needed to reach the goal lead to frustration and unhappiness.

These researchers set out to change all that by focusing on the influence masters- those few successful change agents who have successfully changed behaviors with amazingly positive results. The book starts with several specific examples of these change agents, from a half-way house in San Francisco that turns hardened criminals into productive workers to controlling an AIDS epidemic in Singapore by teaching young sex workers to insist on condoms, to improving literacy in Mexico City, plus several more.

The authors examine the principals behind these success stories, then lay out a framework anyone can use to successfully influence change. Their research shows that it is not enough to simply define the change you want, although this is a vital first step. It is important to break the change down into 3 or 4 vital behaviors that will bring about the change.

For example, when changing my own behavior to permanently lose weight, I know that I must: (a) start exercising daily, (b) limit my portions, (c) limit fat and sugar, and (d) eat more vegetables. If I can develop regular habits that allow me to do all 4 of these things, I will lose weight and keep it off based on extensive studies of people who have successfully lost weight.

When influencing people to go straight after a lifetime of crime- or even generations of crime- there are a series of behaviors aimed at helping people experience the joy of working, being part of a team, being depended on, and being capable and competent at a desired skill.

Once we understand the vital behaviors, the next step is to look at the forces that create change and to bring as many of them to bear as possible. The authors identify six sources of influence:

Personal motivation- an individual's desire to change and their belief it is possible.
Personal ability- an individual's skill, knowledge and resources for the change.
Social motivation- a peer group or societal motivation to change or support the individual's change through rewards and recognition. If all my friends walk during their lunch hour, I am socially motivated to exercise during lunch.
Social ability- the natural consequences built into the social structure that support or oppose the change. If my mother believes that eating her homemade cake every night at diner is a sign of love and to turn it down will hurt her feelings and cause guilt, I do not have the social ability to influence this change.
Structural motivation- the degree that the environment motivates the change. If all the vegetables are at the front of the refrigerator and I have to move them aside to get to the cake my environment motivates me to eat right.
Structural ability- the degree that the environment allows me to change. If there are no vegetables in my kitchen, my environment does not support my ability to eat more vegetables.

To Kerry Patterson's point- most of us stink at influence because real change through sustained influence takes work and skill. If you are motivated to change or to be an agent of change in your community or organization, but lack the skill and knowledge to make that change stick, then this book has what you need.

This book is:

very readable
solidly based on research summarized within the book
full of personal and social examples and experiences
contains clear advice on how to make changes
contains advice that has worked repeatedly

We recommend this book for anyone who is interested in influencing their own behaviors or the behaviors of others in pursuit of a happy life.

Why not become an influencer in your happy life!