Improve Yourself 17: Change Anything Provides Great Help

This continues our series on how to improve yourself to get the biggest raises and best promotions

The authors of The Influencer and Change Anything recently moved their web site to a very robust Facebook Fan page when you type www.ChangeAnything.com into your browser. I’ve read all their books and used the old page. They have added some great features to this fan page.

Problems That Prevent Successful Change

We strongly suggest you click on the 19 minute video clip on YouTube of Al Switzler outlining the science and studies about how to Change Anything https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TX-Nu5wTS8 

To summarize some of his points in the video:

• The Willpower Trap: the faulty assumption…that if you are failing it’s because you don’t care enough or you’re not fully committed—you don’t have enough willpower
• Be the Scientist and the Subject: Recognize that scientists may have studied how to help “people” change, but no one has studied how to help “you” change. You must become the subject of your own scientific study. You need a way of understanding; and Influencing your own behavior
• Apply the Science of Change:
  • Identify your crucial moments (those crucial times when you are tempted to revert to bad behavior)
  • Create your vital behaviors (create your different behavior when the crucial moment hits)
  • Engage all six sources of influence (“I can only control my behavior by taking control of the things that control me” see below)
  • Turn Bad Days into Good Data (plan how to deal with setbacks to avoid failure)

Six Sources of Influence to Change Anything

Al Switzler says we need to apply six sources of influence. The six sources of influence apply three levels (personal, social, structural) to two columns (Motivation and Ability)

• Personal:  Motivation (I want to)
• Personal Ability (I can do)
• Social Motivation (Cheer you to succeed or accomplices in failure)
• Social Ability (Coach you to develop the skills to change)
• Structural Incentives (Rewards you for the change)
• Structural Ability (Controls your space makes your good behavior easy and bad behavior hard)

Friday we summarize our series on how to improve yourself to grow your career

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