Why People Ignore Good Ideas: The Messenger Effect | Steve Martin

Send us Fan MailHave you ever suggested an idea that nobody took seriously, only to watch everyone embrace the same idea when it came from a consultant, colleague or outside expert?The problem may not have been the idea.It may have been the messenger.In this episode, Peter Boolkah speaks with behavioural scientist and bestselling author Steve Martin about why people frequently pay more attention to who is communicating than to the merits of what is being said.Steve is the faculty director of behavioural science at Columbia Business School, CEO of Influence at Work UK and co-author of the international bestseller Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion with Robert Cialdini and Noah Goldstein.Drawing upon his book Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t and Why, Steve explains how leaders can choose the right person to communicate an important message.You’ll discover:Why strong ideas are sometimes ignoredHow the identity of the messenger affects whether people listenWhy doesn't the person who creates a message always need to deliver itThe difference between hard and soft messengersThe four hard-messenger traits: status, competence, dominance and attractivenessThe four soft-messenger traits: warmth, vulnerability, trustworthiness and charismaWhy dominant messengers can be effective during uncertainty or crisisWhy the same dominant style can damage a healthy organisational cultureHow leadership teams can become more strategic about communicationWhy trustworthiness and truthfulness are not necessarily the same thingHow predictability and consistency help leaders build trustTHE MESSENGER EFFECT AND FOUNDER DEPENDENCYFounders often assume they must personally communicate every important decision, change or strategic priority.When the team doesn’t respond, the founder repeats the message, usually with greater force and frustration.But repeating a message more loudly doesn’t necessarily make it more persuasive.Sometimes the founder has crafted the right message, but is not the most effective person to deliver it. A respected departmental leader, technical specialist, customer or external adviser may possess greater credibility with that particular audience.Building a leadership team capable of carrying important messages reduces founder dependency. It also prevents the founder from becoming the company’s only voice, source of authority and driver of change.That makes the messenger effect highly relevant to The Hamster Wheel Trap®.The objective is not for the founder to disappear. It is to create a business where influence and communication are distributed deliberately rather than depending upon one person.CONNECT WITH STEVE MARTINInfluence at Work: https://www.influenceatwork.com/cialdini-trainers/steve-martin/Messengers: https://www.messengersthebook.com/CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAHWebsite: https://www.boolkah.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkahInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoolkahX: https://twitter.com/boolkahABOUT PETER BOOLKAHPeter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:Do you own the business, or does the business own you?Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com