On this episode of The Wednesday Call podcast, Andy Albright comes to you live from his home in Treasure Island, Fla. to talk about how to use questions to help people get stuff done.
Seven Questions To Navigate The DO:
Do you always DO what you schedule?
Do you tell people that you are going to DO?
Do you DO necessary evils everyday?
Do you go past the expectation of the DO?
Do you break the DO into manageable sections?
Do you bribe yourself for good DO behavior?
Do you have a wall to bounce the DO off of?
Do You Always DO What You Schedule?
"Progress is a natural result of staying focused on the process of doing anything." --Thomas Sterner
Moral: You will never get real progress if you don't honor your schedule. If you are not daring and forward enough, you can never get past the thinking stage of getting work done.
Questions 1 Responses:
People are more likely to do something if you can get them to phrase it as a question to themselves (Will I honor my schedule this week?), rather than if you get them to say a declarative statement (I will honor my schedule this week!).
We are basically all "control freaks." The desire to control starts as young as 4 months old. Posing a question to ourselves gives us the illusion of that control versus a declarative statement which insinuates an ultimatum we hate.
2. Do You Tell People That You Are Going To DO?
"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask, Act! Action will delineate and define you." --Thomas Jefferson
Moral: If you tend to concentrate your thinking on the internal "why" of the do, you will get caught up in a life of inaction. Let the outward "what" of your promise to others represent who you are.
Question 2 Responses:
People are more likely to comply to a promise, rather than a request.
When desiring a do from people, it is better to use nouns (can you be a producer?) to evoke a promise, rather than verbs (Produce now!) which evoke a demand.
3. Do You DO Necessary Evils Everyday?
"We are what we repeatedly do." --Aristotle
Moral: Having no routine or structure is so much more draining mentally, physically, and emotionally than any routine could ever be. Our peace of mind is determined by our commitment to a routine.
Question 3 Responses:
People are motivated by the fear of losing more than the possibility of gaining something.
When people are sad or scared, they will want to stick to something like a familiar routine. If they feel safe within that routine, they will crave it like an "old shoe."
The trick is to turn something productive (like dialing) into an "old shoe."
4. Do You Go Past The Expectation Of The DO?
"Learning is its own exceeding great reward." --William Hazlitt
Moral: The more we learn, the more we can do.
Question 4 Responses:
Giving people an expectation will stimulate them to want to master their craft, which in turn, will motivate them to work past the just doing of a task.
Don't mix praise with feedback if you want to stimulate the desire for mastery (which is a stronger need than an external reward). Just give honest and objective feedback about their progress of becoming a DO expert.
If people are told they can't do something, they will be motivated to prove you wrong with mastery of the task and exceeding the expectation.
5. Do You Break The DO Into Manageable Sections?
"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned." -- Peter Marshall
Moral: Don't overplan and underact. Actions you take beat life- changing intentions.
Question 5 Responses:
An important part of getting someone to create a new "do" habit is to break the doing into really small steps.
The easiest way to take a small step is to anchor it to an existing good habit. Anchor habits are those habits that are recurring and imprinted in your DNA.
If you can accept anchoring, you can create a new habit in less than a week.
6. Do You Bribe Yourself For Good DO Behavior?
"The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term, is the indispensable prerequisite for success." -- Brian Tracy
Moral: Without delayed gratification, there is no discipline, and without discipline, there is no endurance.
Question 6 Responses:
If you want consistent behavior don't reward yourself every time you do something, just when you hit important markers.
People are more motivated to reach a goal the closer they get to it, so backend the bigger rewards.
When you punish someone, it only works for a little while. Denying yourself rewards is a more effective way to bribe your do to the finish line.
7. Do You Have A Wall To Bounce The DO Off Of?
"And those who were seen dancing, were thought to be crazy by those who could not hear the music." -- Friedrich Nietzche
Moral: Listen to the ones dancing, and you might one day hear the music.
Question 7 Responses:
You can prompt someone to change their own story by having others to gauge against.
If you can get people to consider at least one perspective which is in conflict with one of their self-beliefs, that one small breakthrough can be the gateway to bigger behavioral changes.
Listening to another perspective is powerful, but writing down their thoughts and ideas activates certain parts of the brain. It makes it more likely that people will commit to what they just heard.
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