Failing to act means the consequences of not acting now are not seen or perceived to be worth the effort of acting. People who don’t take the desired action don’t see the upside or downside consequences of not acting.
Help people see the consequences of not doing what needs to get done to help them make the best decisions to act on what matters.
Overview
Anticipated consequences are the number one driver of action. The reason—all humans are propelled into action by the same thing – the consequences they anticipate. Below are the most common consequences people will take action to avoid:
- When people don’t want to do something, it is because they believe the consequences are insufficient to warrant the activity.
- When people produce solely out of fear, once the fear is removed, so is the motivation to continue production.
- Administered consequences are those consequences that a boss or leader imposes to reward or discipline an individual. They utilize a leader’s power to convey rewards or discipline to motivate.
Natural consequences are those consequences that naturally occur because of an individual’s actions. Help people see the consequences of not doing what needs to get done to help them make the best decisions to act on what matters. If people act one way, they expect it to yield the best bundle of consequences. If you want people to act another way, you must tell them how a different behavior would yield a better consequence package.