I bet you’ve heard the age-old advice: “Hire for attitude and train for skills.” It’s a catchy phrase, and it certainly makes for a great motivational poster in your breakroom. But is it really a practical approach to hiring top talent?

Let me break it down for you.

Imagine telling a job candidate, “We didn’t hire you because you have a bad attitude.” Sounds harsh, right? And let’s face it, no one would actually say that. Instead, you might say something like, “While your background and skills are impressive, I didn’t quite sense alignment with our company culture during the interview.”

Now, if you’re in the business coaching game like me, you’re well aware that talking about someone’s “attitude” is like walking on eggshells. After all, what exactly constitutes a “bad attitude”? It’s a vague, subjective term that doesn’t get us very far when it comes to constructive feedback.

So, what’s the alternative?

Imagine this: You have an employee who appears less than enthusiastic about the new direction your department is taking. Instead of hitting them with the dreaded “I don’t like your attitude,” you opt for a more detailed approach in private:

“When you rolled your eyes, sighed loudly, then looked away during our department meeting, it led me to believe that you might not fully support the new direction we’re heading. Help me understand what you were thinking.”

See the difference? You’re shifting the focus from a vague attitude label to specific behaviors that need to be addressed.

Now, flip the coin. Which would you rather hear from your manager?

• “You have a great attitude.”
• “I really appreciate that you consistently arrive early for meetings, actively contribute ideas, and proactively seek ways to enhance our processes. Your positive approach is a real asset to our team.”

Option 2, right? It’s not just about labeling someone as having a “great attitude.” It’s about recognizing and reinforcing the behaviors that contribute positively to the team and the company.

Think about it – even as parents, if we tell our child, “I don’t like your attitude,” chances are they won’t see it the same way. No one thinks they have a bad attitude. It’s all about perspective, just like in the workplace.

So, here’s my takeaway for you: Instead of fixating on whether someone has a “good” or “bad” attitude, focus on identifying specific behaviors. That way, you can provide targeted feedback, foster growth, and drive positive change.

If you’re eager to dive deeper into this concept and explore strategies for transforming your workplace culture, I invite you to check out my book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness. In the final chapter, aptly titled “Transforming the Culture,” you’ll find valuable insights and practical guidance.

Share your thoughts, experiences, and creative approaches to influence in the comments below. Together, we can revolutionize the way we communicate, connect, and influence people in our professional journeys.

Edited with ChatGPT

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and a faculty member at the Cialdini Institute.

An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 650,000 people around the world. His TEDx Talk on pre-suasion has more than a million views!

We live in a data driven society. Data generated then powered by AI affects all of us from the movies we watch, to the advertisements we see, and the insurance rates we pay.

For example, based on your viewing habits, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and nearly every other streaming service takes your data, runs it through AI algorithms, then suggests other movies that might pique your interest.

The same thing happens with the Facebook ads you see, and the YouTube videos that appear on the sidebar. Your personal data is being synthesized, reviewed against people with similar demographics, then fed back to you in the form of recommendations.

Insurance has been data driven from its inception. When it comes to driving, statistics based on age, sex, vehicle type, location, driving distances, and more, are used to determine the rate you pay. Actuarial tables based on vast amounts of data are the basis of life insurance rates.

Using data to suggest movies or come up with insurance rates is quite a bit different than using data to influence people. Over the years, I’ve seen countless presentations that share loads of data. It’s almost as if the presenter is saying, “Oh, look at this [number, trend, stat, etc.],” believing the data itself will lead to some sort of change.

Data Doesn’t Change Behavior

News flash: Data itself rarely changes people’s behavior. And more data is not necessarily more effective. In fact, it quite often is counterproductive.

Sharing data is only useful if your audience takes action as a result. In other words, you want to use the presentation of the data to influence people. For example, I could share compelling data on the dangers of texting and driving, but if you get in your car and start texting while driving, I’ve done nothing to influence your behavior to help solve the problem.

Below are a four simple things you can do next time you present data. Do so and it might just make the positive difference you’re hoping for with the most people possible.

Set the Stage

Whenever you share data, be sure to set the stage early on by telling your audience what you hope they take from the presentation, and more importantly, how you hope they will change their behavior as a result.

This is incorporating pre-suasion and, if done correctly, it is sure to make your persuasion attempt more effective.

If you neglect this important step, then what you share is simply interesting (sometimes uninteresting) information.

Less is More

Remember, less is more because too much information can overwhelm your audience. It’s much better to share a few pieces of compelling data that will be easily remembered than it is to share a vast amount of information. Oversharing is analogous to the salesperson who tells you everything about their product or service in hopes that something will stick.

Humans simply aren’t built to retain the details of all the data you’re probably sharing currently. We forget things pretty quickly because our brains have limited capacity to store information and we’re constantly bombarded with new information that competes for our attention.

Stories and Comparisons Help

If you want action from your audience, tie your data back to stories or compelling comparisons. Rarely does information alone change behavior but this approach quite often bridges the gap between knowledge and action.

When it comes to compelling comparisons, Made to Stick comes to mind. In that book, authors Chip and Dan Heath share the story about pressure that was exerted on the movie industry to change buttered popcorn because it was so unhealthy.

In the 1990s, a medium sized buttered popcorn contained about 37 grams of fat. If you pay attention to your diet, then you know that’s a lot of fat. However, most Americans we’re not in tune with calorie counting at that time so referencing 37 grams didn’t bring about change.

It wasn’t until the comparison was made to foods that people knew were unhealthy. What the book revealed was, you would get the same amount of fat in a bacon and eggs breakfast, or a big Mac and fries, or a steak dinner, with a loaded baked potato. Everyone knew eating those meals with any consistency was unhealthy. It was because of the compelling comparison, not the stat, that things began to change.

Call to Action

The old saying “It’s not what you say, but how you say it” holds true when you present data. In today’s information-overloaded world, bombarding your audience with stats and charts isn’t likely to generate the change you’d like to see.

Instead, be brief, clear, and concise. Remember, data is only as effective as its presentation. Your goal isn’t just to share information, but to influence change.

Next time you make a presentation that’s heavy on data, focus on setting the stage, keeping it simple, weaving in relatable stories, and concluding with a strong call to action. With these strategies in place, you’re more likely to see the impact and influence you’re hoping for.

Edited with ChatGPT

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and a faculty member at the Cialdini Institute. 

An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 650,000 people around the world. His TEDx Talk on pre-suasion has more than a million views!

I’m in my happy place! September through December is my favorite time of the year. Not only is the weather beautiful in Central Ohio (at least through the fall), but the holidays are just around the corner and it’s the start of college football season. I didn’t attend The Ohio State University but growing up in central Ohio. I’ve always been a Buckeye fan, going back to the Woody Hayes era.

Deion Sanders

As the 2023 college football season started, there was quite a bit of intrigue around Colorado University with the hiring of Deion Sanders as their head coach.

After his 14-year career in the NFL, Sanders was elected to the Hall of Fame. He was away from the game for more than a decade when he was hired as head football coach of Jackson State, a historically, black college and university (HBCU). This was a risky move because Sanders had not coached at any level, let alone head coach. Being a great player is never a guarantee of coaching success.

His first year at Jackson State, during the Covid shortened season, the team went 4-3. In 2021, they turned things around and went 11-2. Then last season, Sanders led the Tigers to an undefeated season, only to be upset in a close game in the Division I national championship.

Colorado University

Back to Colorado. The football team has been irrelevant for quite some time despite having won a national championship in 1990. Last season the Buffalos finished with a dismal record of 1-11.

There’s been a lot of excitement about the hiring of Sanders, but there has been just as much doubt and many questions. Could he coach at the highest level of college football? Could he turn around a program that’s struggled since their glory days? How long would a turnaround take?

In their opening game, Colorado traveled to TCU, a team that played for the national championship last year. In a thriller, the Buffalos defeated the Horned Frogs in a close game. They followed that up last weekend with a victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Things are moving in the right direction.

Leadership in Business

But this post isn’t about Deion Sanders. It’s about leadership, and how the leader is the lever to success, in sports and business.

Since leaving my corporate role in insurance, nearly five years ago, I’ve attended many conferences around the country. Something caught my attention during these travels. There are many good people in the insurance industry, who want to do their best to help the insurance agencies they support to grow.

I recall, sitting in one conference, listening to a leader speaking from the stage. It’s almost cliché to hear someone say, “Our people are our strength.” That sounds good, but seldom is it fully realized.

In an organization of almost any size, there’s usually a large sales team. The larger the team, the less impact any one individual can have on overall performance.

Consider basketball for a moment. Only five players are on the court at any one time for each team. Having a superstar like Michael Jordan or LeBron James has a huge impact on the team’s ability to win. Even in football, although there are many more players on the field for each team, a superstar player can all make the difference between a win and loss.

However, when an organization has 25, 50, 100, or more salespeople, the presence of a superstar makes very little difference to the overall sales success of the organization. Simple math tells you, someone who is 20% to 30% better than their peers can never make a huge difference when there are 50 or more “players” on the team.

The Leadership Lever

It’s the leaders who can have an outsized impact. That’s because leaders set the stage for success. Archimedes, the Greek mathematician and philosopher, gives us insight into this. He famously said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Leadership is the lever.

A leader who can coach the sales team, so they are continually improving their skills can make a huge difference. The leader is the one who can remove the obstacles that are preventing the sales team from maximizing their potential. A leader who can help improve the team by 10% or more will have a much greater impact on the overall organization than any superstar can possibly have.

In addition to coaching and removing obstacles, a leader needs to influence and inspire the team. Inspiration is instilling the belief that each person on the team can do even more than they might have thought possible. Influence comes into play because, after inspiration, it’s about influencing the team to do the things necessary in order to succeed.

The Rest of the Season

The season is still young, and Colorado has quite a few games to play so the jury is still out on the program’s success. Having watched their first two games, I went from a skeptic to a believer. But my shifting belief, and perhaps yours, is irrelevant to Deion Sanders, because he doesn’t know you or me. The only thing that matters is that the players believe in him. It’s apparent that they do.

Does your team believe in you in the same way? You may not need to move the world but are you a lever that can move the organization?

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and a faculty member at the Cialdini Institute. 

An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 650,000 people around the world. His TEDx Talk on pre-suasion is rapidly approaching a million viewers!

In the decades that I’ve been teaching influence, it’s abundantly clear that most people find the research on influence and persuasion fascinating. I certainly do and my fascination with the science changed the course of my career. However, something else I’ve noticed is that many people struggle to implement the findings from social psychology and behavioral economics so they can run a better business. 

Imagine you’re attending a business summit. During the keynote address you’re riveted by a well-known coach as he or she narrates stories of leadership and team dynamics. Each anecdote is a blend of humor, wisdom, and intrigue. But once the applause dies down, there’s a problem: how do you translate that captivating presentation into actionable steps for your organization? The talk was informative and entertaining but not transformative for your business so you go back to doing what you’ve always done. Not a recipe for success.

This all-too-common occurrence might explain the unprecedented popularity of a piece I wrote more than a decade ago. In 700,000 Great Reasons to Use Yellow Sticky Notes I detailed how my former company recovered from a $700,000 error in short order using Yellow Sticky Notes. 

We’d overpaid 150 insurance agents, accidentally doubling their commission in December, but recovered money from 130 of them…in just two weeks! Within two months 147 or the 150 had returned the money in full which astounded the agency accounting manager.

The story had a big impact on my friend and fellow author, Bob Tiede. Bob emailed me recently to let me know the impact using Yellow Sticky Notes has had for him. 

His latest book, Leading with Questions, came out earlier this year and he shared the following success story:

“Ever since I read this ‘Excerpt’ from your book – I have been writing ‘Yellow Sticky Notes’ whenever I send someone my new book. On the [sticky] note I write: ‘NAME, will you please do me a huge favor? Will you please take a photo holding my book and then text it to me?’ To date I have received over 300 photos!”

Here is a picture of Bob’s collage of Yellow Sticky Note responders who are helping him promote his new book. Impressive! 

I encourage you to read 700,000 Great Reasons to Use Yellow Sticky Notes so you understand the research, see the real-world business impact, and can think about ways to leverage the power of Yellow Sticky Notes in your business.

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and a faculty member at the Cialdini Institute.

An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 650,000 people around the world!

Over the years I’ve heard many people talk about tips, tricks, and tactics to influence and persuade people. I recoiled at that language because we (Cialdini Method Certified Trainers) teach principles of persuasion.

But what exactly are “principles of persuasion”?

What is a Principle?

Let’s start with principle. One definition for principle is a basic proven rule or law, governing human behavior.

When it comes to human psychology, I prefer using the word rule, not law. That’s because, when I think of a law, such as the law of gravity, it’s something that will happen each and every time, unless some force from outside acts upon it. Unfortunately, human behavior isn’t so predictable.

When it comes to human behavior, as I shared last week, there’s no magic wand to get everyone to do what you want all the time. However, there are rules that people generally operate by when it comes to thinking and behavior. Understanding those rule is paramount in communications.

What is persuasion?

Aristotle said, “Persuasion was the art of getting someone to do something they wouldn’t ordinarily do if you didn’t ask.” That’s a great definition! Persuasion is about changing behavior. It might start with a change in conscious thought but more often than not, it’s the subconscious that’s registering and acting on information.

Dale Carnegie had a lot to say about Influence. However, Carnegie was not a social scientist. He never performed any experiments to test his assumptions. Rather, he observed successful people during his lifetime and cataloged characteristics and actions they displayed. While not a scientist, he was an astute observer of human behavior!

As good as Aristotle’s definition of persuasion is, I would replace one word to make it more precise. Rather than calling it “art”, we can now say it’s “science”. That’s because there are seven decades of research from social psychologists and behavioral economists into what causes someone to say yes and take action.

With that small change, we can now say, “Persuasion is the science of getting someone to do something they would ordinarily do if you didn’t ask.”

Principles of Persuasion

Now we’re ready to define “principles of persuasion.” When we combine our definitions, here’s what we come up with – The principles of persuasion are scientifically proven rules for changing people’s behavior.

The seven universal (they apply across all societies) principles of persuasion, as popularized by Robert Cialdini, include: liking, unity, reciprocity, authority, social proof, consistency & commitment, and scarcity.

It’s important that you understand these principles and live by them ethically in your communication. Do so and you will enjoy more career success as well as peace and happiness in your personal life.

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. His follow-up, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence at home and the office.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 650,000 people around the world!