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How do you get people to support your goals?
People want to feel that they’re a part of something.
They want to feel a thing is theirs, that they contributed, and that they have some ownership of it.
These may seem like platitudes but research is showing just how important these feelings are to leadership, influence and motivation.
Years ago, Pillsbury noticed that their cake mixes had poor sales. They theorized the buyers didn’t feel the cakes were “theirs.” By removing a few of the ingredients and requiring users to do more, sales increased:
One theory was that the cake mixes simplified the process to such an extent that the women did not feel as though the cakes they made were “theirs.” At the time, a psychologist and marketing expert by the name of Ernest Dichter speculated that leaving out some of the ingredients and allowing women to add them to the mix might resolve the issue. This idea became known as the “egg theory.” Sure enough, once Pillsbury left out the dried eggs and required women to add fresh ones, along with milk and oil, to the mix, sales took off.
Dan Pink, author of
Basically, these two scholars, they started studying Hollywood pitching. They did a very exhaustive study. Basically what they found, which you know, I’m sure, from your screenwriting days, is that pitching isn’t about convincing somebody, pitching is essentially about inviting them in.
That’s essentially their view. That changed my view on it a little bit. I think pitching is like, “Are you with me?” and actually that’s not the way to do it. The way to do it is, “Here’s the pitch. What’s your contribution?” When the other side contributes, it actually builds something, and it’s usually a little bit better, but also the other side is more invested in it and so forth. The idea of pitching is to begin an engagement with somebody, not to necessarily convince them right there. Then I outlined the six successors to the elevator pitch which are all I think really interesting, backed by some of the social science.
What’s really interesting is, it doesn’t take much.
Just like adding eggs was enough to give a feeling of ownership over a cake, relatively minor adjustments like reordering words increased feelings of ownership and warmth toward ideas and solutions:
…we concluded that once we feel that we have created something, we feel an increased sense of ownership—and we begin to overvalue the usefulness and the importance of “our” ideas… Would the simple act of reordering the words to form the solution be enough to make people think the idea was theirs and consequently overvalue it? …even reordering the words was sufficient for our participants to feel ownership and like the ideas better than the ones given to them.
So how can you leverage this?
Lectures, rants, pitches and direct orders need to become conversations if you want the support of others.
Incorporating even their smallest contribution can help people feel a part of something and join your cause.
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Save all ideas
Ownership and its effects
Whenever people feel that they have created or, at least, helped create something, they tend to become even more involved in that very activity that led to the creation of their possession. Furthermore, they try to find new solutions and ideas to improve their creation.
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Key Ideas
The “IKEA effect”
If you make things more laborious, the consumers will value them more.
In the 1950s, a US food company wanted to sell more of its brand of instant cake mixes. They were advised to...
Testing the IKEA effect
Labor alone can be sufficient to induce a greater liking for your own work. A study confirmed the phenomenon. Experiments involved assembling IKEA boxes, folding origami, and building with Lego.
- The results showed participants valued items they assembled themselves more, demonstrated by their willingness to pay to keep it.
- However, when participants spent too much time building or deconstructing their creations, or failed to complete the task, their willingness to pay for the item declined.
Related concepts
Several other important economic behaviors that are connected to the IKEA effect are:
- The endowment effect: Owning a product increases its perceived value.
- Effort justification: An individual who makes a sacrifice to achieve a goal attribute greater value to the achievement.
- Personal preference: The fact of being attached to a particular brand.
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Key Ideas
Motivation and career success
Focus On The Meaning
The things that give us deep happiness are inherently things that take longer and have a big element of meaning in them.
And if the task you have to do doesn’t seem meaningful, try reframing your experience. You might not be able to change what you have to do but you can change how you see it.
Take Ownership
When we feel connected to what we’re doing, when we make something our own, we’re much more motivated.
To turn some task you’re handed at the office into something you feel ownership of, make small tweaks that customize what you have to do, that allow you to do it your way.
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Key Ideas
The importance of motivation
Research shows that more than 50% of American workers feel disengaged at their jobs.
Research also shows that motivation is very important to feel engaged. Motivation predic...
Focus On The Meaning
We find motivation when something is meaningful. Meaning is much bigger than the enjoyment of a moment. It can include something we don't like. Soldiers risk being killed every day to serve their country. New parents handle poop daily for years.
Meaningful things give us purpose. This means doing something that serves a larger cause than yourself or, at least, making a contribution in your own world.
Tasks that do not seem meaningful
When a task you have to do doesn't seem meaningful, reframe your experience. You may not always be able to change what you have to do but you can change how you view it. When you look at it in light of how it helps others, you'll often find motivation.
You're not "filling out boring paperwork, you're helping people get the insurance that could save their life. You're not slaving over a hot stove, you're showing your family how much you love them.