CHANGE FOR GOOD!

Over the past 30 years, we have conducted extensive research with one goal in mind: To determine if there are certain behaviors that, if improved could yield a profound impact on end results. After more than 10,000 hours of research, observing thousands of individuals, we can present hard data to support that:

1. Behavior fundamentally changed across the organization; and
2. Changed behaviors were responsible for driving significant improvements in performance.

Best-Practices Research: The Beginning
Our original investigation unfolded when we asked for a list of 20 leaders, a list composed of a mix of ten A-rated and ten B-rated performers. We didn’t know who was who; the list was alphabetical. Our job was to study the 20 people and eventually return two lists—one with the name of the A-level performers and one with the name of the B-level performers.

To pull off this feat, we shadowed all 20 leaders over a period of months. We interviewed them and watched them in action. The unanswered question was, would they actually behave differently, and if so, how would they behave differently? Our theory was that the two groups would, in fact, behave differently. Furthermore, we were confident we would be able to observe differences and eventually determine what separates the best from the rest. And if this were true, the differences would be based on the behaviors.

We were right. The two groups of people did behave differently, and it didn’t take months to spot the differences. It took days. We quickly noticed that during low-stress moments, A-list leaders and B-list leaders were almost indistinguishable. When chatting on the phone or conducting a routine conversation, everyone looked alike. But then we made a breakthrough discovery. Visible differences emerged when people faced high-stakes disagreements or disappointments. When someone needed to broach an uncomfortable topic (a crucial conversation) or confront someone who had violated their expectations (a crucial confrontation), ten of the 20 people were significantly more comfortable, direct, and effective than their peers. They held uncomfortable conversations more quickly and more effectively than their peers. And in doing so, they demonstrated a distinct and definable set of skills.

After two weeks we turned in our predictions of who we believed were the A-level performers and who were B-level. We bet the ten who were more skilled during stressful interaction would be the subjects who had been identified at the beginning of the study as A-level performers. We were 100-percent correct. Behavior did separate the best from the rest.

Subsequent research projects have allowed us to note the specific do's and don’ts of high-leverage skill. Identify the specific behaviors of individuals who successfully navigate highly charged interpersonal challenges and you have something worth sharing with everyone else.

From Research to Training
How have we shared? During the first few years of our research, we began teaching the key behaviors or high-leverage skills to others. To date, we have taught more than 2 million people world wide. Finally, when we were confident we had separated the behavioral gold from the slurry, we published two training programs—one on crucial conversations and one on crucial confrontations.