Mind Over Matter
The popular press has some pop psychology in the news, reminding us that optimism leads to better health. Of the different articles and studies I have had flash across my screen the more interesting one is about the chocolate with the positive aphorisms that leads to a more productive attitude. While there is plenty of actual believable research to back up the claims, I do find it interesting that a company actually wants to market this kind of product. On the other hand, I travelled through Sedona this week, so why would I not think this kind of product as normal.
Well, all teasing aside, I think there is a lot to be said for both the power of positive thinking and the power of negative thinking. Being a guy who can spot a glass half empty from a mile away, I would like to focus briefly on the power of negative thinking.
One of the things that I like to keep in the forefront of the thinking of my clients’ minds is that if managers believe that a business change won’t work, the likelihood of them being correct increases dramatically. From a CRM perspective there is pretty strong evidence to suggest that the number one predictor of a program being successful is whether managers support it. Or, taking the glass half empty approach, which is so much more comfortable for me, if managers don’t buy in, it will be doomsday.
If you don’t believe that the new system will work, you will most likely self-fulfill the proverbial prophesy. If you are skeptical that a standardized process will be carried out, your attitude will influence that it won’t be. Your lack of confidence that the new policies will be capable of supporting new goals will help to assure that you are correct.
I see this whole thing played out fairly often. The largest road block is typically put up when a company is contemplating the possibility of switching CRM platforms. Commonly the sentiment is that no matter what the alternative choice is to the incumbent system there are key stakeholders who have had negative experiences with the proposed replacement. Warnings are raised that switching to the tainted package will lead to disaster, as happened in the past at the previous employer.
What I can tell you from the perspective of an organizational psychologist is that this attitude is intensely hard to combat. If you are about to embark on a change to a new system and you have this mindset in even a small percentage of the thought leaders, you will have a significant challenge on your hands. But, this is not because of my ability to see partially filled glasses so clearly. Rather, this is all about the power of negative thinking. When managers believe a new system won’t work, they will possess an uncanny ability for prediction.
This is why I don’t like the strategy of, “let’s get the system in and then we will win over folks with its abilities”. Negative attitudes will prevail and then be proven correct. A better strategy is to win people over prior to the change. And, I do not know of any way to do this without both identifying and engaging the naysayers. They have to be heard and then conditions have to be met that will allow their concerns to be addressed. The problem is that this takes longer and it is much easier to push past this stage fast.
It is much easier to ignore the folks who aren’t on board. At first. Then you pay. They will find you. Take the harder trail and include the folks with a different opinion than yours. If you do, you will have a much better chance of influencing them to make your CRM program successful.