Don't be annoyed. Be effective.
Use behavioural science to influence business outcomes.
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No one cares like you do
In the early years of Rolls-Royce, founder Frederick “Henry” Royce made engineers sign the parts they were responsible for.
“If any component proved faulty...
Almost there beats arriving
We tend to think people are most engaged on the day they get the reward.
The day they finally cash in the loyalty card...
Yelling into the void
Ever felt like you’re putting in effort, but it’s disappearing into nothing?
That's what ineffective influence feels like.
Rules.
Reminders.
Meetings about meetings.
Endless...
Jammed chainsaw
I was helping a friend chainsaw a large eucalypt that had fallen across a path.
The chainsaw got jammed.
No matter how much we...
Tissue sessions
Have you heard of tissue sessions?
I hadn’t until I worked in a corporate marketing team.
And I really wish I’d used them on...
Failing to influence
Here’s what most attempts to influence human behaviour – especially at work – look like.
We put rules in place.
We bombard people with...
Job titles
When I worked in finance, I noticed something interesting.
When times were good, we called ourselves 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘴.When times were tougher, we reverted to...
The silent competitor
“Gee, the coffee here is terrible,” I said to a Coca-Cola Amatil colleague.
“That’s deliberate,” they replied.
“Because Pepsi isn’t our only competitor. Coffee...
The Distracted Boyfriend
Something funny happens the moment people are required to commit to change.
At work.
In their personal lives.
Up until that point, it...
The list of fears
According to Rishad Tobaccowala in Restoring the Soul of Business, people fear:
Being punished.
Being wrong.
Being asked to do more work.
Being disliked....
Solving the wrong problem?
The latest Philippine Airlines safety video has gone viral, racking up more than 5 million views.
But is it solving the right problem?
...
100 hours on my knees
A few years ago I did a 10-day silent retreat.
No talking.
No eye contact.
About 10 hours a day meditating.
It was brutal....
