Two Minds: Appealing To Our Instinctive Brain To Overcome Resistance To Change
Have you ever tried to motivate someone to change, like a coworker, team member, or family member? I’m willing to wager that your go-to strategy was to throw information at them, facts, knowledge, etc, because once they see the facts, you know they’ll see the need to change.
Didn’t turn out so well, did it?
According to Michael McQueen, author of the book "Mindstuck," there's a fascinating reason why the logic-and-facts approach often fails when approaching resistance to change. It all comes down to two different "minds" we use to process decisions.
Our brain has two distinct "minds" that process decisions differently.
The Inquiring Mind vs. The Instinctive Mind
1. The Inquiring Mind (Frontal Lobe): This is the part of the brain responsible for reason, logic, and analytical thinking. However, we only use this rational mind about 5-10% of the time when making decisions.
2. The Instinctive Mind (Amygdala): The amygdala is a region of the brain associated with emotional processing, particularly fear and anxiety responses. This instinctive mind acts as our brain's protection mechanism, constantly scanning for potential threats through the fight-or-flight response. We rely on this instinctive mind for 90-95% of our decision-making.
Interestingly, McQueen suggests that we're not inherently afraid of change itself. Instead, our instinctive mind fears the potential losses that could come with change, such as losing certainty, authority, power, or control. We need to spend more time with our instinctive mind by using these 3 effective strategies.
3 Strategies to Appeal to the Instinctive Mind
1.Lessen The Loss
One of the most effective ways to overcome resistance to change is by lessening the perceived losses people anticipate. Whether it's adopting new technology, restructuring roles, or revamping processes, change often feels threatening because of the potential losses involved - losses of competence, control, relationships, or comfort with the status quo.
Let's say your team is adopting a new project management software to track tasks and deadlines. Some team members are resistant because they're comfortable with the old system and fear losing productivity or struggling with a new interface. To lessen the perceived losses, you could:
Provide thorough training on the new software so they don't feel incompetent or fear losing skills they've built up.
Allow a transition period where the old and new systems run in parallel, so they don't feel they're losing a familiar tool cold turkey.
Highlight how the new software will automate tasks they find tedious in the old system, lessening their workload over time.
Ensure their customized views, filters and reporting from the old system carry over to the new one, so they don't lose efficiency.
Involve team members in configuring the new software, so they have a sense of ownership and control over the change.
The key is acknowledging and proactively addressing the specific losses your colleagues anticipate. By making the change feel like an evolution rather than a complete overhaul, you lessen the fear of the unknown.
“The greatest agent for change is not facts or figures, but the ability to appeal to the instinctive mind and alleviate the fear of loss that so often accompanies change. ”
2. Connect the Change
Rather than portraying an initiative as completely new, connect it to things the audience already values or does successfully. For example:
If implementing a new sales methodology, relate it back to existing customer service principles the team already embraces.
When launching a new product, emphasize how it enhances or builds upon a popular existing product line.
For a workplace policy change, frame it as an updated version of previous policies, not a total overhaul.
By linking the change to positive experiences, processes or values already in place, it becomes an evolution rather than a risky reinvention. This taps into the comfort of the familiar to make the change feel more accessible, making one less resistant.
3. Use Motivational Interviewing
What is Motivational Interviewing? According to Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, it can be defined as:
MI is a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention to the language of change. It is designed to strengthen personal motivation for and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting and exploring the person’s own reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion. (Miller & Rollnick, 2013, p. 29)
This is a counseling technique that uses both good listening and good directing skills to help someone understand why they may want to change but also be resist. It’s a conversation that involves a variety of approaches. In an example, let’s use yourself as the manager who is trying to motivate your employee, Sarah, to adopt a new customer service protocol at work. Sarah seems resistant to the change. Here are 5 strategies you could use to help Sarah become more open:
Ask Open-Ended Questions:
"What are your thoughts on the new customer service approach we're implementing?"
This opens the conversation without being confrontational.Provide Affirmations:
"I know change can be difficult, but you've successfully adapted to new processes before when we overhauled our billing system last year." This validates her concerns while boosting her self-efficacy.Use Reflective Listening:
Sarah: "I'm just not sure this new way is really better than what we're already doing."
You: "It sounds like you have some doubts about whether this change will actually improve things."
Reflecting her perspective back shows you understand.Elicit Change Talk:
"What would you say are the potential benefits of improving our customer satisfaction ratings?"
This gets Sarah thinking about the advantages of change. “On a scale from 1-10, how important is providing excellent customer service to you?" If she rates it as moderately important (e.g. 4), you can say "That's great, higher than I expected. What would it take to go from a 4 to a 6 or even 7?"Connect to Values:
"You mentioned one of your core values is continuous learning. How might this new approach allow you to build valuable customer service skills?"
The motivational interviewing style avoids arguments and instead guides Sarah to voice her own motivations for change, boosting her autonomy and commitment to the process.
The Power of Listening
One of the most powerful insights McQueen offers is that when trying to motivate change, we should "speak like we're right and listen as if we're wrong."
This open-minded approach allows us to better understand and address the instinctive concerns driving resistance to change. By actively listening and validating their perspectives, we can more effectively inspire and motivate others to embrace positive changes.
At the end of the day, we're all instinctively wired to resist change due to fears of potential loss. However, by using the right strategies, we can speak directly to people's instinctive minds. When we take the time to understand personal motivations and address underlying concerns, we're much more likely to inspire real commitment and positive momentum.
