The Language of Effective Leadership
It would be great or maybe not if helping people change their behavior was easy. In my coaching practice and having taught a self-management course for fifteen years, I learned that most people resist change even if it is in their own interest. There are a myriad of reasons why people fear change and the reasons for each individual may be different. Many people have internalized voices of fear, perfectionism, overwhelm, scarcity and impatience. Asking people to change runs into the very prevalent human dynamic of confirmation bias.
Confirmation Biases
A significant body of research shows that asking people to change often drives them more deeply into opposition. In study after study, people display a phenomenon called confirmation bias, first noted by Francis Bacon almost 400 years ago. As he noted, “The human understanding when it has once adopted an opinion … draws all things else to support and agree with it.”
Confirmation bias is a tendency to search for or interpret new information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions and to irrationally avoid information and interpretations that contradict existing beliefs. We listen attentively for information and messages that confirm our own thinking — and upon hearing them, we feel rewarded and validated.
If the communication varies from what we know or believe, we dismiss the message as being irrelevant or wrong. We become skeptical about the source. All of this happens instantaneously in the part of the brain that’s responsible for emotional reactions — not in the areas that handle logic and reasoning.
This explains why traditional persuasion techniques fail, especially when delivered too early in a presentation. You risk speaking to a skeptical, cynical or hostile audience whose confirmation bias has been activated.
At this point, your reasons for change will be reinterpreted as reasons not to change. Even worse, skepticism and cynicism are contagious.
Are you working in a company or law firm where executive coaches help develop effective leaders who lead change? Does your company or law firm provide leadership coaching and leadership development for their leadership talent?
One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Do I attempt to get people to change by attempting to persuade them to change their established beliefs?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching and leadership development for leaders who champion change at all levels of the organization.
Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more effective at communicating change. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision and mission of your company or law firm.
I am currently accepting new executive coaching and career coaching clients. I work with both individuals and organizations. Call 415-546-1252 or send an inquiry e-mail to mbrusman@workingresources.com.
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