Got a Problem? Fork It!

part one:
why a multi-pronged strategy is always better

The big challenge for every business leader -- and for every person who enrolls others to accomplish something -- is to drive each goal from start to finish successfully. Most of us know WHAT we want to accomplish with others, and we may even know the TASKS involved, but we often fall short of our goals and then look back and wonder why it didn't happen!

I say that to accomplish your goals, "Fork it!"

That got your attention, didn't it? Now imagine a fork with a long handle and multiple tines. The tines represent the multiple PATHS OF INFLUENCE, and the long handle represents the effort required to REACH AGREEMENT:

The first step in tackling any big challenge is to understand how you can best influence the outcome. Studies have affirmed what we all suspected: a single solution strategy (a quick fix) rarely works because the problem is fed by multiple sources. What works is combining multiple influences into a single overwhelming strategy and then gaining agreement among the participants on their personal role in executing
that strategy.

This month, I'll focus on the six sources of influence. Next time, I'll cover the agreement.

INFLUENCE

Organizational change experts Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, and Andrew Shimberg have documented the success of the multi-pronged approach for everything from corporate culture change and quality improvements to stubborn personal challenges like quitting smoking or getting fit.

As outlined the the Fall 2008 issue of the MIT Sloan Management Review, the experts demonstrated how by combining multiple sources of influence -- at least four concurrent strategies rather than one -- leaders can be up to TEN TIMES more successful at driving substantial and sustainable change. That still does not guarantee a successful outcome, but going from 4 percent success to 40 percent success is a BIG DIFFERENCE!

Everyone likes to sort and categorize, especially researchers. Their studies indicated that for best results, the four concurrent strategies should have their roots in one of these six sources of influence:

1. Link the outcome to a positive group mission and the values of the individuals. At Brookwoods Group we remind ourselves every day that we are not just solving staffing problems, we are changing
   people's lives for the better!
   .
2. Invest in training so people can leverage their personal abilities to solve the problems. At Brookwoods Group we invest in interpersonal communications seminars for all of our office staff to help us
   understand each other better and speak up when we see issues that are invisible to others on the team.
   .
3. Harness positive peer pressure and lead by example. At Brookwoods Group, we have internal deadlines to produce this newsletter. In our group meetings, our administrative manager, Andrew Van
   Winkle, presses each of us -- including me -- to meet our deadlines for articles and contributions. No one -- including me -- wants to be the one to fall behind and hold up the schedule!
   .
4. Create social support using motivation and ability. At Brookwoods Group, each of us brings a different set of skills, talents, knowledge and experience to the table. Each of us is asked not only to leverage
   those assets, but to teach others and transfer knowledge wherever possible. This constant learning and teaching between colleagues creates more effective pathways for influence and communication!
   .
5. Align rewards and accountability. At Brookwoods Group, we reward our recruiters and business development professionals for making  great matches between our professionals and clients. By rewarding great fit and longevity instead of volume and "churnover", Brookwoods Group has built a positive reputation among both clients and professionals.
   .
6. Change the focus of the environment. At Brookwoods Group our focus is on building great relationships with our clients and professionals, but some of our software and business tools do not support or measure that; they support tracking a contact in one context over time, but do not support tracking our relationships with one person in ALL their contexts (as a professional candidate, as a reference for another candidate, as a source of referrals, as an employee, as a friend, or as a client -- perhaps in several companies)! We are in the process of changing our internal systems to match our real focus. (By the way, you folks who have been our client AND our candidate AND our employee AND our reference AND our friend... please know you hold a special place in our hearts!)

THE INFLUENCE MATRIX

In case you didn't notice, the change experts cited above point out that there is a little pattern to these six sources of influence... They relate to personal, social, and structural factors affected by both motivation and ability:

	Motivation	Ability
Personal	Link to positive group mission and values	Invest in personal training
Social	Harness positive peer pressure	Create social support through internal learning and teaching
Structural	Align rewards with accountability	Change the focus of the environment!

 

Remember, to be successful in driving a fundamental change for the better, pick any four of the six!

APPLIES TO PERSONAL AND BUSINESS CHANGES

This same structure can be used to wrestle with vexing personal situations as well. For example, using the model above, a good way to increase your chance of success in enhancing personal fitness would be to commit to at least four of these six strategies:

	Motivation	Ability
Personal	See your doctor to document the benefits of fitness changes to you and your body in your situation.	Take courses in nutrition and fitness, or nutrition and  cholesterol, to educate yourself about food.
Social	Join a group with a shared goal of fitness improvement and meet regularly.	Become a mentor to young folks to teach them about nutrition and fitness.
Structural	Create a rewards system to buy yourself a nice present at each milestone.	Track and measure not just pounds or reps, but also other factors like clothing size or food consumed.

TRY IT; YOU'LL LIKE IT!

So, if you have a problem you are trying to solve, how about this approach: Identify six different strategies using the template above, then try all six of them, knowing you can opt out of two of them if they
do not contribute as much as the others. In any case, stick with at least four of the strategies until you have reached the goal!

Has THIS article put you at a fork in the road? We always enjoy feedback! Contact me at john.sweney@brookwoods.com.