Leadership Is About Changing Behavior

Leadership is not just about having a vision. Leadership is about intentionally communicating that vision to others so that they change their behavior.

That is how you achieve that vision.

Here is a video that I am sure will become a classic. Joseph Grenny, of Vital Smarts, explains how people, all of us, are massively influenced by really small things. It’s 42 minutes long, but worth every second.

He uses a matrix of six sources of influence:

  Motive Ability
Personal Pain or Pleasure Training
Social Modeling, Praise,  &
Suggestions From Others
Helping, Enabling, &
Suggestions From Others
Strucural Incentives Visual / Audio CUes
Leaders influence the frame.
  • Connect principles to their values. Ask them what is important to them.
  • Help people frame specific daily decisions to the principles.
  • Start with improving ability and removing barriers. Then work on motivation. Provide hands-on practice under realistic, real-world conditions.
  • Surround them with friends and coaches. Give them colleagues who have the same interests and goals.
  • Use data, cues, tools, and incentives to make good choices easier and obvious and to make bad choices harder and conscious.

Watch the video. It’s fun and the advice is great. Then check out his book.