Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing!

I remember a counseling session many years ago with a business mentor of mine who at a time of personal frustration said to me,

“Mark, keep the main thing the main thing?”

Oh, how this has blessed my life in so many ways. There are so many things we can focus on and yet there are typically only a few things, when kept first, that can have the biggest impact on our lives. Of course as we look at the many roles we all play in our life’s journey (father, mother, husband, wife, provider, church leader, civic organizer, teacher, coach, etc…) there are many “main things” that we need to focus on. Sometimes keeping them lined up can get rather burdensome and confusing, but that is another post!

I want to spend a few moments talking with you about what I believe is the “main thing” on being an effective agent. To do this I need to share an important organizational behavior model I first learned at a BYU Alumni Conference in 2006. The model speaks to the issue of change, more specifically how to effectively change the behavior of individuals or groups to achieve worthwhile results.

I must tell you that the application of this model has made a dramatic difference to me personally and in my business life. I have shared it with several other people and it has caused them great insight as well. Consider the following. The model suggests that our results are determined by our behavior. Our behavior is determined by our beliefs and our beliefs are determined by our experiences. In the reverse it would look like the following. Our experiences determine our beliefs, our beliefs determine our behaviors and our behaviors determine our results. Maybe it would look something like this:

· Experiences > Beliefs > Behaviors > Results

Think of this for a few moments and challenge its simplicity and straightforwardness. Think of a result or set of results you have in your life and trace it back. I think you will find that your results thus far have been largely determined by your life experience. Think about the success in your own life. Have not your successful results come from a series of experiences which drove your beliefs about your efforts and your subsequent desire to succeed? Those beliefs drove certain behaviors which led to favorable results.

Now think of it this way. Leaders are constantly trying to reach some predetermined aim. In order to reach this target you generally need others to help achieve the goal. In order to reach this destination it will take a series of particular behaviors and results that are vertically aligned toward the target to accomplish the goal. In the process, you will find that your ability to facilitate change, in the context of marshalling the resources of others, will make all the difference. You will need people, human capital, to reach the finish line.

Throughout my business experience I have watched countless management teams across a variety of industry classifications fail to understand the power of this simple model. How effective would they be if they simply understood this model on change! They repeatedly attempt to change the results of an organization by attempting to change the behaviors of key team members and line staff.

They attempt to focus on behavior rather than focus at the experiential and subsequent belief level of the person or organization. To accomplish this they often use coercive means and tactics to reach their aim. It is quite common for executive and line managers to engage in manipulative tactics to change their results, because when you fail to focus at the lower levels of the change model (experiences) you are left with a dwindling tool box of effective tactics to get results.

I detest these methods. I have seen them up close and personal, which is probably why I am presently in my own enterprise where I have more control over my own culture. Their approach or management style, if you want to call it that, can be favorable in the short run, but over time since a positive experiential factor has not changed, the desired results often fall off and revert back to pre-manipulative levels. It’s a frustrating way to go if you want true long term change! In effect, the tactics do cultivate an experience, but it is so negative that true change is not sustained.

Consider this topic’s application to the building of a Farmers agency. So much of what we do is about relationships, is it not? The process of bringing new clients into your agencies requires a change of focus and attitude on the part of the insured. Why would they change? Why would they decide to come to your agency and leave their current relationship? Of course clients can change for a variety of reasons. Price, coverage, service and relationships covers the spectrum. But, their decision to change ultimately hinges on some sort of experience they will or will not have with you!

If they have a meaningful and value-added experience with you and your staff they will begin to form beliefs about what this new relationship might mean to them in the future. This experience must be aligned to their needs and they must see a pathway to achieving what’s important to them. But at the heart of their decision process is an experience. As their beliefs begin to form out of this new experience you have provided, their related behavior and results will follow.

I see this play out over and over again… And so, the question that begs an answer is,

“What kind of experience are you providing your immediate and potential clients?”

“Is it an experience that draws them to you or drives them away?”

This is a serious question that demands careful attention!

You are either providing a nurturing, growing, attractive, professional, service-oriented experience with those you touch or you are not! You are either providing a positive, encouraging, consultative environment or you are not! Consider your physical office environment as well… This is a whole other topic that emits an experience to those you encounter. Consider your personal dress and grooming! You can see how the concept of examining what type of experience you are presenting can be far reaching and yet central to your growth!

This is a fascinating topic to me as I see it all around me in most everything I do. I see it in the world of business, parenting, and sports and in my service relationships. More importantly, however, I see it in our individual lives and with those we interact. The challenge is that it is more difficult to work at the experiential level rather than trying to use other manipulative means to change one’s results. I guess we could yell, scream and pout to get our way and in the short run that often works. Conversely, effecting long term change takes more thought, energy and creativity, and it requires one to truly connect with the person he or she is working with. Accordingly, most take the easy way out and are simply not willing to put in the work.

The work comes when we understand that the key to emitting a change driven experience with others is rooted in the personal soft skills that we exemplify. Our soft skills make up of the following abilities:

- Your ability to effectively articulate our thoughts and opinions
- Your ability to practice reflective and emphatic listening skills
- Your ability to managing our body language and physical presence
- Your ability to understanding social and learning styles
- Your ability to communicate and effectively manage conflict

In our techno-savvy world there is a demand for these important skills and maybe a heightened need to shine in these areas. As you provide a better experience for those around you, you will become an attractive magnet that the best will flock to. It will be a feeling that others will detect. It will be a value added aura that you impart. Be the person and you will become what you dream! Never forget the connection between the following:

· Experiences > Beliefs > Behaviors > Results

Focus on the experiential component of life and you will change your results. There is no doubt that this is the “main thing” in building a vibrant agency!