Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition

by Joseph Grenny

Generally when we face a problem like Biff, we make an automatic assumption that he just doesn’t care. In other words, we assume the problem is that he’s simply not motivated because he takes no pleasure from doing the work. Then, without even realizing it, we make a second mental leap. We assume that the reason he’s not motivated is because of some moral defect. That may sound harsh, but think about it for a moment. When a doctor fails to wash his hands, we typically assume, “He’s just concerned about his own convenience.” Similarly, when Biff fails to exert himself for customers, we conclude, “He’s just lazy.” We attribute the problem not just to a simple oversight but to nothing less than a character flaw. And finally, when we do make this rather harsh diagnosis, we then respond with the only tool that might affect such a recalcitrant miscreant: coercion. This proclivity to attribute others’ worst behavior to some underlying character flaw is so common that psychologists have given it a special name. It’s referred to as the fundamental attribution error. This is the belief that people do what they do merely because they enjoy it: “Why did that bozo just cut me off in traffic? Because he wanted to get where he wanted to go and didn’t care about me! In fact, he probably enjoyed it.” Whenever others cause us inconvenience or pain, we have a natural tendency to suspect they have selfish motives coupled with malicious intentions. That’s where influencers depart from the pack...