25 February 2009
Keeping secrets
So Jack Straw vetoes the release of key cabinet meetings detailing the reasons for going to war. The claim is that publication threatens damage to the government. The trouble with a response like this is that it stimulates emotions in those 'out of the loop' that deliver the polar opposite of what those in power desire.
Presumably, Mr Straw would like people to trust his word and move on. If that is the case then HE (or his advisors) needs to change the approach they are using. It is all about starting with the end in mind and it is all about communication. If you have a difficult message to get across then my comments are as true for you as for Mr Straw.
Politicians need to learn that the issues are often largely irrelevant when it comes to shaping people's behaviour
People respond to their emotions; their intellectual evaluation then follows, but EMOTION definitely comes first. If 'trust' is the desired emotion then communication must be shaped to stimulate that. No one can guarantee that the use of influencing methodologies will work, but it can pretty much be taken as read that without them there will be confrontation. If the emotion stimulated is uncertainty, frustration or distrust then you do not need to be a psychologist to figure out what actions and responses will result. If any of us want someone to trust us then we have to give them every chance of doing so. The onus is on the teller of the tale to engender the trust. To blame the listener for not trusting what they are told is not at all useful.
Trust is just another way of describing an unconscious belief
...something we are happy to accept without further question. In psychology, the formulation of beliefs is explained as the provision of 'referential indices', in other words references that support the belief. Without some references the belief is a little like a table with no legs; it is of no use at all. Therefore, to generate trust politicians must first start by providing legs to their belief table. They must start with their end in mind. The goal is not to explain, the goal is to influence. If instead of defending controversial decisions, they built up references to support new beliefs responses will be different.
It goes like this;
1. First build some rapport by finding common ground.
2. Second, ask questions that generate a positive response.
3. Thirdly remind your audience of other times when you have been relied upon to deliver a good result.
4.Then fourthly agree with their responses and use those to support your position.
Here is an example of what I mean:
Step One; Most people would agree that terrorism is something (at the very least) to be avoided. I cannot think of anyone who would relish being caught up in another spate of bus and tube bombings or similar. These are not difficult issues on which to build some rapport and common ground.
Step Two; If questioned about preferences between actions that may stimulate more violence or those that diffuse the potential for it, how would most rational people respond?
Step Three; there are many unfortunate examples from outside our shores of outrages that have occurred that might have been avoided; examples that have not been replicated here because of the sterling work of our security services.
Step Four; once it has been established that both the public and the politicians are 'on the same side' then making the case for holding back information that might be inflammatory becomes an easier sell. Easier to manage and easier to steer though, not because the issues have changed but simply because of the way communication is handled and the emotions of the listening audience 'managed'.
Keeping secrets is however not unique to politicians. We can often go for the 'cover-up' in business when actually generating trust and buy-in from our stakeholders might be a much better option.
If you are a business owner who wants to thrive rather than survive, I recommend joining the ‘Business Success Strategies’ monthly audio coaching programme from BusinessCoaching.co.uk . They are offering £800 of FREE material just to take a RISK FREE trial. Take a look at http://tinyurl.com/yhh6zjb
23 February 2009
Frozen Idol?
It’s just been reported that Simon Cowell (among others) is planning to have his body frozen when he dies, in the hope that some day he’ll be brought back to life. So what is it that drives a person to spend the price of a small house to keep their mortal remains from decaying? Is it just that he can afford it and so ‘why not? Is it that he wants to become immortal? Is it because he fears death? It’s a very personal question and one to which we’ll likely never know the answer. There are a few things however that we can be reasonably sure of: We can be sure that he doesn’t believe that he has a spirit or soul that leaves his body at the point of death; if he did then he wouldn’t be bothered about his dead body at all. Clearly he’s not alone; as Michael Hanton the science editor at the Daily Mail is also so certain that he states ‘no one sensible believes in a nebulous soul which leaves the body at the point of death’. Both he, and presumably Simon are so sure because of the ‘scientific evidence’.
No scientific proof needed
Science however is not in the business of proving anything. It merely suggests explanations and offers methodologies that can be replicated. When we don’t know how to replicate something then it is as if it does not exist; until of course science moves on and an explanation is found. Consciously or unconsciously he has accepted this as if it were true. We can also be sure that he doesn’t believe that this life is transitory. He must believe that this is all there is or he would not be interested in hanging on in here in a frozen corpse. Interestingly he does seem to have faith in the notion that something will be invented to bring him back from the dead.
The greatest minds in history have been humbled by the complexity of existence
They tended toward the modest acceptance that there is more to be explained than has thus far been unravelled. If they were still around they may have read works like Dr Jim Tucker’s ‘Life after Life: Investigation of children’s memories of past lives’ with an open mind. They may even have claimed than only the ignorant or arrogant are certain of anything. Simon and his chilling colleagues may not be certain either; the money they spend on this may just be meaningless to them. It will however not be wasted; it will at least keep some people employed to watch that no one thaws out before either the cash runs out or science moves on.
So what are you too certain about in your business? What might you be missing because you have your mind closed to the possibility - no matter how remote? What chances are you prepared to take to make the most of whatever you've got?
If you are a business owner who wants to thrive rather than survive, I recommend joining the ‘Business Success Strategies’ monthly audio coaching programme from BusinessCoaching.co.uk . They are offering £800 of FREE material just to take a RISK FREE trial. Take a look at http://tinyurl.com/yhh6zjb
20 February 2009
Much has been written about the unfortunate reality TV ‘star’ and her fatal illness
It would be difficult for anyone not to be moved by the everyday tragedy of a young mother facing an untimely death and leaving behind two young children. Yet she is criticised by some for selling her sad story (and accompanying photos) for considerable wedges of cash. But this isn’t about the cash. It’s not really about the provision of funds for her children. It’s about giving Jade something that she desperately needs.
Jade just wants to feel CERTAIN
She needs to find a way to balance this massive emotional uncertainty. All her control has been taken away, she is now faced with the ultimate uncertainty; death. Is it any wonder then that she’s grasped the one thing that will offer her a sense of control right now. She knows that she has the ability to direct her own affairs as far as the grasping celebrity driven media are concerned. She can’t do anything to stem the growth of the cancer that’s killing her but she can decide to put herself in front of a camera. For this very last time she is in control. Of that, and only that, she can be certain.
Everyone deals with tragedy like this in their own way
...but they still need the same basic emotional supports. Everyone needs a sense of emotional certainty and will find one when that need arises; for some people it’s a faith in God, Allah or some other version of the hereafter. For others it’s in the strength of their family or friends. For Jade it happens to be in the power to control the media and make them pay. Of course the money will help her kids and maybe she really believes that’s why she’s playing out her final scenes on the public stage; but the truth is that she is no different to any one of us in her unconscious drive to meet basic emotional needs. The media merely happen to be her vehicle of choice to provide it.
What are you doing that ives you the certainty you need - particularly when it comes to managing your future and the future of your business?
If you are a business owner who wants to thrive rather than survive, I recommend joining the ‘Business Success Strategies’ monthly audio coaching programme from BusinessCoaching.co.uk . They are offering £800 of FREE material just to take a RISK FREE trial. Take a look at http://tinyurl.com/yhh6zjb
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