2013 Global Leadership Summit Session 5a: Joseph Grenny

Co-Founder, VitalSmarts; Best-selling Business Author

Session 5: Mastering the Skill of Influence

• Business strategy expert who has developed a proven method for driving sustainable and measurable change in human behavior
• Founded corporate training company, VitalSmarts—one of the fastest growing companies in America that has taught 300 of the Fortune 500 Companies
• Utilizing a research-based approach to organizational effectiveness, he is author of four best-selling books including Crucial Conversations and Influencer: The Power to Change Anything

Session Notes

• Leadership is intentional influence.
• Behaviors have changed when it comes to playing online games, eating habits, smoking habits. Influence has changed behavior.
• Story of Jane, Nairobi woman who turned to prostitution. 800,000 “Janes” in the Nairobi area.
• Vital behavior – if we can get Jane to save a little bit each week, it would not only change her financial situation but her life.
• Research w kids, gave them $40, made candy available at 10x normal cost. Not a good deal but they bought it anyway. When asked they weren’t sure why.
• Why did they fail?
  • Gave the kids samples
  • Didn’t give them any skills
  • Social influence
  • Decorated w happy kids eating candy
  • Used credit not cash
• Then they changed the influencers. Savings went from $13 to $34.

.

• Personal motivation
  • Personal motivation problems are where good behavior feels bad, bad behavior feels good.
  • Don’t just teach principles. Connect to values.
  • Help people frame specific choices in godly ways.
• Want more influence?  The practice setting must approximate the real world.
• Example: Washington HOV lane, 20% were “cheaters.” Put up signs to report violators. Violators received brochures. Cheaters dropped by 80%.
• Make bad choices harder, more conscious. Make good choices easier, more obvious.
• We don’t get to choose these influence factors. You either get them working for you or they work against you.
• Want to change the world?  Learn how to change behavior.