easy way to show negative and positive rules

Research by Ayelet Fishbach and her colleagues at the University of Chicago shows that positive and negative feedback have different influences on people. The encouragement you give also needs to be tailored to a person’s stage of change. This kind of feedback promotes an incremental mindset, which acknowledges that most abilities are skills that can be nurtured. Instead, you’re inviting him to tell you about all of the strategies he has put together to support his success at sticking to his diet under difficult circumstances. What is your secret?” You are still providing a positive message, but you are not assuming that there is some fixed capacity for willpower. For that same dieter, you say, “I’m impressed that you have managed to avoid all of these tempting desserts. It is better to give positive feedback that does not reinforce an entity mindset. The dieter might be exhibiting great willpower in that circumstance, but if he gives in to temptation in some other circumstance, does that now mean that he has reached the limits of his willpower? However, underlying this statement is the idea that willpower is an entity that cannot be changed. If you see a friend on a diet at a party eating a small plate of fruit, you might say to him, “Wow, you have remarkable willpower, I couldn’t do that.” On the surface, this is a compliment. People often give others feedback that inadvertently reinforces an “ entity mindset,” which describes accomplishments as the result of fixed traits. Give the right feedbackįeedback can influence the mindset people adopt about behavior and motivation. That could mean leaving little notes on the fridge (“Drink less beer!”), or hanging up the gym bag in the foyer of the house. The same is true of drinking less alcohol or getting more exercise-the goal is important, but it helps to be constantly reminded of that goal. If you show people the conditions in which the product is used-through, say, an ad or product placement in a movie-then they will be reminded to use the product in those situations when they encounter them later. People’s actions are driven by specific circumstances. Most businesses would never survive if they sold a product to a person only once. So if you want to help someone change, your task is to help them formulate daily short-term goals that will ultimately lead to long-term success- and then help them remember those goals. Consequently, you are biased against doing things that will pay off in the long run when there is some other activity you could do now to achieve a short-term goal. The more active the goal, the bigger the influence on behavior. Goals that are near in time get more energy than goals that are distant in time. Suggest goalsĪ goal is an end state that provides a focus for your motivational energy. If you engage in the same behaviors you expect of others, then you’re exhibiting the highest form of authenticity. Faculty talk to their students about the importance of putting in this time, but it is easier for students to internalize the effort needed to succeed by seeing their faculty mentors at work. To balance teaching classes, doing research, writing papers, reviewing papers for journals, writing grants, and doing administrative service for the university, most faculty I know put in long workdays. The point of working in a visible way, though, is to give students a sense of what is required for success in academia. They would get more done if they were interrupted less often. They would probably be more productive keeping their doors closed or perhaps even working from home.

Many professors I know make a point of working in their offices with their doors open. Your actions help people see how a goal can be accomplished successfully. When you lead by example, your actions will serve as a source of goal contagion for other people in your environment. It is important to engage visibly in the goals that you want them to adopt.

“Do as I say and not as I do” is not a formula for success. If you want other people to change, start with yourself and make sure the things you want them to change about themselves are things you do effectively yourself. This essay is adapted from Smart Change: Five Tools to Create New and Sustainable Habits in Yourself and Others (TarcherPerigee, 2014).

Easy way to show negative and positive rules