Joseph Grenny is Co-Founder of Vital Smarts and a best-selling author of many books.
I’ve never mentioned him on the blog for some reason, but Joseph Grenny is one of my favorite authors. His book Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High is one of the best I’ve read. Very clear, profound, and wise. And his book Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition
Today in his message he talked about mastering the skill of influence. Here is the chief point that stood out to me: When we want to influence people, we often focus just on motivation. Motivation is indeed a big part of change. But ability is just as crucial. In fact, most people who become effective actually start with ability and then move to motivation.
Hence, helping people develop skills is an essential part of influence.
The most effective way to develop a skill is through deliberate practice. “If you and I want more influence, we need to involve more people in deliberate practice.” In deliberate practice, the practice setting must approximate the real world; practice is done in small bites with intense focus for brief periods, and the person receives immediate feedback.
“You want to change the world? Learn how to change behavior.” And you help change behavior not simply through motivation, but through helping people develop skills.