America’s Leadership Expert : Mind Trick
Clay Staires: This Clay Staires America’s Leadership Expert with podcast number 25 The Jedi Mind Trick. How to get people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. I love this one. Again, this is Clay Staires with Tulsa Business Leadership. We’re talking about as a manager, as a business owner, as an entrepreneur, as a supervisor how do I get people to do what I want them to do because they want to do it. There’s the key. I think it was Eisenhower, nope wasn’t Eisenhower, yes. I think it was Eisenhower that had that quote of, “The actual art of leadership is getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”
You may have seen the Star Wars movie were Obi Wan Kenobi is looking at the storm troopers and he waves his hand and says, “These aren’t the two droids you’re looking for.” The storm troopers goes, “These aren’t the two droids I’m looking for.” That’s what I’m talking about. I want you to know it is possible as a leader, as a skilled leader it is actually possible for you do get into the mind of another person, run around, discover what they’re thinking, and influence how they think, and then get out of their mind and they didn’t even know you were there. It’s possible. I do it often and I train other people through Tulsa Business Leadership how to do this. That’s where we’re hitting today for you entrepreneurs, for you managers, for you business owners, for you supervisors, even for you parents trying to get people to do what you want them to do. Trying to get them to do when you want them to do because they want to do it. That’s the core piece of what we’re trying to do today.
Funny I mention the word core ’cause that’s where it all begins. America’s Leadership Expert It all has to begin with a common core value. Now we spent several different podcast talking about how to create a core culture. How to create a company core culture and the core values and how to recruit through it and everything. I want to refer back to those if you have more questions about how do I get these core, what are the core values and everything. Once we know the core values, once we have established the core values then what we’re going to do, we’re going to use the core values to motivate and to inspire people to do the great work that they have been designed to do.
Once again, it has to begin with the core values. I got an opportunity just earlier this week to work with one of my clients. I went to their shop, they have about 25 employees, blue-collar union workers. They are in this place, said, “Okay, we’re getting ready to make some changes, but man we’re afraid that if we make some changes that everybody’s gonna freak out. Everyone’s gonna like, ‘Oh no, what are we gonna do?’ It’s gonna be really difficult.” They have hired me to come in to help them navigate through this change in their organization. There’s gonna be some changing in their America’s Leadership Expert.
What we did, after going through several different sessions with them and getting them prepared, what we said, okay now it’s time to start rolling out gradually to the work force that you have, it’s time to start rolling out the vision. It’s time to start rolling out how things are going to be moving forward and what it’s gonna look like. Before we do that, we have to make sure that everybody’s on the same page.
Once again, it’s Clay Staires Tulsa Business Leadership. I just want you to know, I haven’t always been a business coach. For 15 years I was a school teacher and I was a track coach, and soccer coach, and basketball coach in high school. This was something I didn’t even realize I was doing it, but I was being trained by high school students how to inspire athletes to do things that I wanted them to do because they wanted to do it. It all began with me getting everybody on the same page and getting everybody energized under the same banner. Getting everybody focused on the same accomplishment and the same goal America’s Leadership Expert.
I want to walk through this with you. First of all, I’m goin to assume that you have core values in your company. I’m also going to assume that these core values are shared by all. That everybody in the company has had an opportunity to say yes to your core values. This wasn’t just you going away, you and your leadership team going away for the weekend to the mountain and then coming down from the mountain with the tablets of the core values and telling everyone, these are the core values from whence you will derive all of your motivation. Hopefully you’re not using the word “whence” in your work very much. This has to be values that are shared by all.
Most of the time, America’s Leadership Expert when I bring this up with my clients through Tulsa Business Leadership, what I find is, “Yeah we have core values, but we don’t really have them up. Nobody really knows them.” Even the owners and the managers are sitting there and scratching their heads trying to figure out what they are. What we do is we start with getting as many people in the company together as possible in one short 30 minute meeting. We introduce this idea of common page. Let’s get everybody on the same page.
We invite people in the company to be a part of establishing the environment that they want to work in and the type of people they want to work with. We ask everybody, what type of environment, if you could choose the perfect environment for you to work in, what would that look like? People begin, trustworthy, and integrity, and they start throwing out all kinds of words. We write down all of these words, write them down on a board. They’re writing, the marker on the big piece of butcher paper or something like that. We’re writing down all of these words. I go and go and we’ll come up with 30, 40 words as they come up with this.
At the end of that, I will ask everybody, if it were possible, if it here humanly possible to create this type of environment would this be the type of environment that you would enjoy coming and a being a part of every day? Again, because they were part of designing it I promise you, you will get 92% of the people nodding their heads. America’s Leadership Expert They will be nodding their heads going, “Yeah, looks pretty good.” Or you can ask them to raise their hand. How many of you guys, if you could come here, how many of you people would find it enjoyable to come and work at a place like this? You’ll get 92% that will raise their hand. The other 8% they’re just disconnected, they’re really not gonna connect at all, but 92% will say, “Yes, yes. This is what I want.” They will have their hand in the air or they will not.
At that point, you know that they have accepted the core value of the environment. I go on to talk about the different types, what type of people do you want to be around? We go to a new piece of paper and we write down these characteristics of, this would be the perfect person. If I could be surrounded by this type of person on a daily basis, oh that would be wonderful. Again, depending upon the type of work and the industry and everything you’re gonna get different words of what the people are looking for.
Now once you get all of those characteristics of the people that are around them, you’re gonna ask the same things. If you could come to work and be with these type of people, how many of you guys think that would be a good thing? You ask them to raise their hand, 92% will raise their hand. You say, if you could do that and they will nod their head, they’ll raise their hand. They will give you a nonverbal sign that they are accepting what you are selling. You know as soon as they begin to nod their head or raise their hand, you are moving in the right direction.
If they are not nodding their head, if they are not raising their hand then they are not on the same page yet. We are not going to invite them to follow ’cause we haven’t gotten to the same page. America’s Leadership Expert I’ve been in that place before were it actually took like three meetings to find that same page with everybody. Don’t be afraid if it doesn’t happen immediately. Sometimes it happens really quickly, but other times it may take two or three meetings before that happens. First of all, we get people to catch this. You get people nodding their heads and raising their hands. A nonverbal acceptance. I’m not done yet, if i put pressure on this, if I invite too quickly people will fall away, but I want to grab hold of that full 90% of the group.
What I’m gonna do next of all is I’m gonna press a little bit more. What you’re telling me and I’m gonna ask specifically, Jim, who’s sitting here in the first row or Susie who’s over here by the wall. I’m gonna say, “Susie, so you’re telling me that if you could be a part of this type of environment on a daily basis, that would be something that would energize you. That would be something that would help you engage on a daily basis.” Again, Susie and Jim will nod their head. I’m gonna say, “Nope, don’t nod your head. I want to hear a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” Both of them, I promise you both of them will say, “yes.” Now you have moved form a nonverbal to a verbal. As soon as you get the verbal, now you have them in a place of not just accepting it, but now they are verbally agreeing with it. That is key. We have to get the verbal.
I’ve been known to go around the room and I’m looking for verbal from every single person in the room. Jim, I’m pointing at people, “Yes, yes, yes.” Always, you’re gonna get somebody going, “Hell, yes.” There’s always that person going on. You’re just working through them. Don’t be surprised if somebody hesitates and doesn’t answer. If they don’t answer, don’t worry, just keep moving because the group pressure. It’s beautiful. The group pressure. The people that don’t say yes, they will stick out like a sore thumb. Just let that pressure be there. Don’t make them say yes, don’t make them say no, but if they hesitate give them a second or two and just move on.
Here we have now, America’s Leadership Expert we’re going okay if we could do this, if we could set this thing up to have an environment like this and to work with people like this, how many of you guys would be willing to do this? We’re saying, “Yes, yes, yes.” At that point what you want to do is you want to give them some resistance. You want to begin to doubt them because what they’re saying is, “Yes, yes.” Then what you want to do as a leader is doubt them. Create some resistance.
Usually what I do, you may want to practice this in front of a mirror, but usually what I do is I put my teeth together and I suck in. I don’t know. I say that. I don’t know because I haven’t even gone in to what it’s gonna take to get this. You guys are saying, “Yes, we want that, but I don’t know if you’re thinking about what all it’s gonna take to get this.” You resist them. I promise you, the employees that are worth keeping in your company will take that as a challenge. America’s Leadership Expert They will actually say out of their mouth, “Yes, we’ll do it. I promise you I’m gonna do it.” I’m going, “I don’t know, I haven’t even gone through, are you sure you’re gonna be able to do this?” “Yeah!” They will come back and press in to the resistance that you’re giving them.
Now there might be an employee when you go, “Man, I don’t know if you’re gonna be able to do that.” Some employees might go, “Yeah, you’re right. I probably won’t.” This is the employee that you probably need to get on the off ramp for your company because they’re not going to be able to handle the pressure that’s coming. See, what you’re doing is you are preparing you’re work force for the pressure that is coming in the future. You know as the leader that in the future there is change coming. You know that in the future there is going to be conflict and there’s going to be confrontation because people tend to resist change. You know that’s coming up.
What I do at Tulsa Business Leadership is I help leaders prepare their employees for the struggle. I help them prepare for the pressure that’s coming up. You resist them. “I don’t know.” They will say, “No, I will. I will, just tell me what you need me to do.” In the back of your head you’re going, “This is exactly what I’m hearing. This is exactly what I’m wanting to hear. Because I’m getting ready to tell you what I want to do and now you want to do it.” Boom! That is the Jedi mind trick America’s Leadership Expert.
After we’ve gone through that list of words and condensed them down, which is the whole other piece of this ’cause you don’t want to be trying to accomplish 30 words. You condense those things down to about three to five. Probably no more than six words. Now you’ve got these six words. You say, “Okay, if we could do these six words, how many of you guys would be willing to do this?” They’ll get the nonverbal and then you call for the verbal. “Yeah, I’ll do it.” You doubt them again. “I don’t know.” They go, “Yes, we will.” I go, “Okay, well if you’re willing to do it.” This is the key part because we need to move from the nonverbal acceptance to the verbal agreement finally to the action oriented alignment.
At this point, America’s Leadership Expert you’re gonna hold up a marker and you’re gonna ask for people to come up to that piece of paper and write their name on the piece of paper that has the five to six to however many words that you have distilled that thing down to. When they put their name on it, they own it. If they don’t own it, you can’t hold them accountable to it. This is how the Jedi mind trick works. Now you have a work force that has come and signed the piece of paper and their name is one it. Once again, you have moved them now to a place where they are doing what you want them to do because they want to do it.
This is Clay Staires with podcast number 25, The Jedi Mind Trick. How to get your employees, how to get people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.
