{"id":46619,"date":"2021-08-22T10:05:15","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T14:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=46619"},"modified":"2021-08-28T10:59:20","modified_gmt":"2021-08-28T14:59:20","slug":"motivate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/motivate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Motivate Change: 3 Ways to Spark Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you resist change<\/a>? Do you take a long time to plan and scheme, but when it comes to taking action, you back off? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too often we fail to activate change because we are stuck in thinking mode<\/a>. We analyze and rationalize, and we get mired in too many details and options. Fortunately, we can learn to get out of paralysis and into action\u2014motivating change in ourselves and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are three ways to motivate change, get unstuck<\/a>, and spark action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Give Your Rational Side Clear Direction <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your rational side makes goals, plans for the future, and analyzes problems before taking action. This is the ideal \u201cyou.\u201d However, your rational side can actually hold you back from making changes <\/strong>by overanalyzing problems and solutions and getting stuck in details and options. If you don\u2019t give your rational side clear <\/em>direction, it becomes paralyzed. To motivate change, push your rational side out of analysis into productive action. There are three ways to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Motivate Change With Success Stories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Often, when we want to make changes, we look at the problems and possible solutions. Instead, we should be seeking out success stories<\/a> that we can emulate\u2014essentially, look for what\u2019s <\/strong>already working<\/em><\/strong>, and do more of it. <\/strong>This exercise guards us against three major issues that often block change: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. It interrupts your rational side\u2019s overanalysis and reflection, which can hinder change because you\u2019re stuck in the details. A success story to emulate motivates change by giving your rational side an obvious direction to move in.<\/li>
  2. When we look at problems first, our rational tendency is to seek solutions on a similar scale to the problem. Looking for successful solutions first often reveals that the solutions are much smaller than the problems.<\/li>
  3. We naturally feel defensive against \u201coutsider\u201d solutions, because we believe that what worked there<\/em> would never work within the context of here<\/em>. In contrast, when we see an \u201cinsider\u201d success story, we receive the message, \u201cThat does <\/em>work here.\u201d This motivates change.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Imagine you\u2019re having trouble getting your employees to use a new feedback system. Instead of spending time and energy \u201cfixing\u201d those who are struggling, look for an employee who has successfully incorporated the new system into her workflow. Have your struggling employees spend an afternoon with her\u2014they\u2019ll learn practical<\/em> ways to make the change within the context of their work, and they will naturally trust the solution more because it\u2019s coming from a peer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2) Motivate Change by Minimizing Ambiguity and Options<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    When presented with too many options<\/a> or ambiguity, humans naturally default to the most familiar option. Making familiar choices lets you function on autopilot, which doesn\u2019t require you to expend any energy on decision-making<\/a>. On the other hand, change creates unfamiliarity that disrupts your autopilot. <\/strong>You\u2019re forced to weigh options, make deliberate decisions, and supervise your behaviors\u2014especially when the change you\u2019re trying to create is ambiguous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n