When Good People Make Bad Decisions & Why ‘WHY’ Can Stop Them
This meme has been making the social media rounds lately, which sign caught your eye?
Both demand compliance, yet the one is an order and the on the right is a story that causes a physical reaction.
Why is that?
I believe that bad decisions are made when we do not understand why we are being asked to do something …
“if you always tell people why they’ll understand it better, they’ll consider it more important, and they’ll be more likely to comply.
And when the time is right, and you don’t have time to explain fully, they’ll trust you.”
I am all about the explaining the ‘why’ through stories.
Explore more about talking to your people
Humans love stories. Story-telling is the most powerful human communication method. Our greatest leaders, teachers, and communicators know this.
A great story tells us why the hero takes his dangerous journey. Likewise, effective learning also contains the why element. The why ties facts together into a coherent, memorable story.
Why brings meaning to an employee’s actions, otherwise why do it? So, when you talk to your team build a coherent story that contains the why element to:
- Increases employee understanding
- Increases employee perception of importance
- Increases employee compliance
It is the story that is important for all employees.
Feel the visceral power of the story in the DANGER sign on the right.