Christine Miles - The Art of the Nudge

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To match with a licensed therapist today, go to Talkspace.com and enter promo code S80. Welcome to the Exit Coach radio show, the show for baby boomer business owners who are looking for cutting edge information as they plan their 3 to 10 year business succession and exit. Every week we interview top professional advisors for their best tips, strategies, and precautions so you can be well planned. And don't miss our one minute exit coach tip of the day. On exit coachradio.com and now here's your host, the exit coach Bill Black. Welcome back, everyone. Thanks so much for joining us today. My next guest is Christine Miles from CI Square at LLC in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. I think I said that right. I hope I did. And we're going to talk about nudging people and organizations. To drive results. So Christine, thanks so much for joining us and welcome to the show. Oh, thank you so much for having me, Bill. Christine, uh, I'm intrigued by the name of the company CI Squad LLC. Tell us a little bit about the company, how it got started, and, and what you do for folks. OK, sure, uh, yes, uh, CI Squared stands for continuous Improvement and innovation. We believe that, um, companies are trying to do that and we're trying to help companies do that as well. And we really our our story really I guess in part begins with mine. I've been in the field of behavioral psychology for 25 years plus, more than I'd like to admit actually. And you know, I've always, I went into psychology really because I thought I wanted to understand what made people tick, but there's really, I learned later there's really only one reason people study psychology and maybe you know this already, but it's to figure out the crazy from which we come. So I, uh, I started that journey early. Um, my mom had a, um, had a lot of psychological issues at a time when it wasn't as convenient because there wasn't medications and So forth. So it was partly my job in the family to try to help her and help her feel better a lot of days, and she had a lot of strength despite the difficulties she dealt with. So that kind of started my interest in people and helping people, and that's what I've been trying to do for a long time. But I also had a father who was a self-made businessman, so I was very interested in business. So once I spent about 5 years in the field intensively. Studying and I worked as a home-based family therapist. That was my first job out of college. I went. This stuff is really cool and there's a lot of help for people that need help, but I really loved business and wanted to bring that help into the business environment, so I've been helping leaders and executives with soft skills for the past 25 years. Well, that's great. It sounds like you're well suited for what you do for people, and one of those things that I see over and over again is that you help nudge. People and you're actually, uh, your book is coming out in June called The Art of the Nudge. So what is the art of the Nudge? Can you explain that for us? Sure, that came out of some work when my business partner and I came together. We we met at a storytelling workshop about 3 years ago. That's when the story really started to really boom on the landscape and in the business world about being more effective with communication, and we shared some common beliefs and people and That organizations and people had almost unlimited and certainly untapped potential based on our different backgrounds. My business partner John has an operational background working as presidents of companies and driving results from a different perspective than me for the for his career. And what we really realized, and I think your last caller was saying a similar thing, the world has changed. We've sped up quite a lot. There's a lot of communication, a lot of data, and yet we're, we seem to be more disconnected than ever, and we really wanted to find a better way to unleash the potential of organizations and people, and we started talking about our experiences and doing a lot of research and reading and studying on how we could do exactly that. And it's really predicated on two different things that we believe you have to slow down to speed up and sometimes it's hard to want to do to hit the pause and that small nudges tend to lead to big changes and when you ask people to make big changes, they often want to give up and it it doesn't lead to the change that we ultimately want to have happen. And so a lot of people are sitting kind of at a crossroads and wondering what they should be doing and what one of the things I hear you say and I've heard this before too is slowing down to speed up. Let's talk about that for a few minutes and then we'll talk more about the, you know, what is that nudge and how do you how do you employ that? So let's talk about slowing down to speed up because I'm hearing that a lot these days it seems to be a theme. What is it all about? Well, you know, it, it goes, it goes back a while for me. I was an athlete and I I played a lot of sports and field hockey at the highest level and you know I was not the fastest or the strongest player on the team, but I could as a defender could usually catch the fastest girl on the team because I was patient as long as I cut off the angle I could get to her. When I ultimately coached when I was in grad school, I would try to tell these very fast women to do a Step and if they did a hitch step, then I was done. I was lost, you know, if you just did a little bit of a slowdown, I, I couldn't catch you then and I found in business it was very similar that, you know, sports for me is a metaphor for a lot of things as well as my business partner John and You know, I think sometimes we're, we're always thinking we've got to get to the goal, we've got to move forward, but in reality, and again if I go back to sports, it's really how we move the ball and moving the ball back is usually what leads to getting to the goal. And in business again we're used to telling a lot. We're used to telling people what to do a lot. We're thinking about that goal and we're not pausing and stopping to think about why and what we're, what we're trying to accomplish, what strategic initiatives are we trying to tie that to, how do we get that, and really how do we get not only tell a story, but how do we get the story from the people that we're trying to influence. It's kind of like the old saying of sharpening your saw every once in a while. Right, I guess stepping back, thinking about how things are going, you know, what's going right, what's going wrong, and creating a new strategy makes a lot of sense. And you know, I, I've listened to your show, Bill, and just as a comment, you know, it's something that I don't know if you do it intuitively or if it's part of your training or both, but when you talk with people, you take the time to reflect back what they've said just like you did with me right now, and that's something that most people don't do. they respond and they say the next thing rather than, Hey, let me tell you what I heard, and even that's a slowing down, and I think that kind of clarity helps you speed up and get some more understanding more quickly and that's part of what we help leaders, salespeople do in the workplace to help them learn how to be more effective. Well, thank you for that, and it is, it's the way I learned too. It's the way I think a lot of people process is maybe I need to hear that key salient 0.1 more time before we move off of it. So let's talk about the nudge. I mean, we talked about, OK, people could be at a crossroads and they want to do something, but they need someone to come up and say, Here, let me give you a little push in the right direction, and then you'll be over your fears or your concerns. How do you do it? What's the secret sauce of your approach or your framework? Well, it really is rooted in the studying we've done in the neuroscience. What we know is that we use only a very small portion of our brains as humans. And that we have a lot of brainpower that we're not tapping into. Part of that is that, you know, and again, the limbic brain, which is our emotional brain, drives decisions. It drives how we buy. It drives how we act and how we react fight or flight to different events. And so in that we create something called superhighways where we're used to traveling those roads, whether they're effective or not. effective and so to say to somebody, you know, and I always say the word functional lies in the word dysfunctional, that even if something's dysfunctional and and not working for us, it's very comfortable. So to, to go off that well traveled superhighway that our brain has all these uh neurons firing on and it's comfortable to go off on a dirt road that has potholes and take a different direction. Not one that we're all anxious to do. So when we try to push and go too fast and do too much again, that's often when people, they flee, they go away from the change rather than you said it very nicely prodding or nudging them or pushing them lightly to action ultimately makes again we believe bigger changes. Hey, friend, I know how this feels. Waking up exhausted after multiple trips to the bathroom. 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Well, you said superhighways, and all I can picture is all of the thoughts and things that are flooding everybody every day, all the decisions that they have to make, and sometimes they lose sight of what might be a very important decision or direction, and that's where someone, a coach can come in and say, OK, this, you know, this is what's important, this is what you said you want now let's go for it. So I can see where that could be very critical and important and and the other thing that you said was dysfunction is comfortable, which is scary, but, but I'm very true, right? Well, when do we, you know, decide to lose weight or stop smoking or stop eating all the steaks or, you know, it, it change is hard, right? If, if we could, you know, feel the way we feel after we make the change, if we could start there, it would be fantastic, but the reality is change means discomfort and so leaning into that discomfort and getting to the other side to where it feels good again. Getting from that superhighway onto that dirt road, degrading that old highway and creating a new one is not an easy process. I mean, I know there's a lot of potholes around my neighborhood and I want them fixed, but I also don't like it when I have to be delayed because they're fixing the roads. But the more I slow down and the more they do that and take that time, ultimately my ride is smoother and better around my neighborhood. So it's the same in business, but You know, hard charging successful people, we call them Type A's, and I would be, I'm sure, guilty of that as well. We tend to want to move forward and the idea of stepping back or slowing down can again. Be a notion that is counterintuitive, especially because we're bombarded in this fast paced, this fast paced world. So I, we were just out at a company we've been working with a large technology company and you know we were helping them figure out a story about their latest product and we spent probably 25 hours with them helping them sort out their story. It's that time that if I'd have said look, it's going to take 25 hours, I probably wouldn't have gotten that from them up front. But once we started and that they realized there's confusion and there's difficulty because this is a big shift for their customers and a big change for them and the story that they tell to help them make sense out of that and see the future with the new product is something that that they had to slow down to do before they could speed up. And this topic of preparing for and accepting and moving towards change is very important for our listeners on very on several levels, Christine, one of them is that a lot of our business owners, listeners are aged 50 plus, and they're thinking about a new life, you know, getting out of their business, moving towards the exit, but they're afraid because of the change that that that implies. Let's talk about that another day and let's focus on our remaining time on how you drive business results by helping people move towards positive change that will help them grow their business where they may be stuck. How do you do that? Well, I think you reflected it nicely just a minute ago. You have to first know, you know, why, why you're doing something and what you want to accomplish and And making sure you're clear about that. So part of what we do, you know, we're a, we're a training company, a leadership and sales training company, development company, but part of how we do that is, you know, training can feel really good, but it can be an event, and we try to tie it to specific initiatives and strategic activities that need to happen. So, so that's the first thing that we do. What are you trying to accomplish and, and why? And is it really your top priority? And so we look at that first and we call those, hey, what, what would you like to nudge if if there are 3 things in the next 6 months to a year that you need to nudge to make your business move better and move in the right direction and create some measurable outcomes, what are those things? And then we tie that to the specific kind of training that we do where we tailor it. So again, we have a company that we're working with that they want to help their sales force move their pipeline from 2 to 4X and Decrease the number of pricing breaks that their customers have. So when we do that kind of training, we want to make sure that we're tying not only the outcome measurements to that, but also what are the core training ideas that they need to have to make those activities that lead to those outcomes. And do you find that a lot of business owners are stuck on the on some of these key initiatives because there's. So much going on around them and they, you know, lose the impact of how important that could be if they just focused on it. Well, I think sometimes that, you know, it's probably a combination. I think sometimes the senior leadership is very clear, but they have a, they have a whole organization to move to those initiatives, and people have shifting priorities all day long and so. You know, how do they keep, how do they keep them on top of those initiatives and, and dealing with their fast paced world and what they're bombarded and does everybody understand why we're doing this and what we're trying to accomplish and then are we all going about that in a similar way and so the alignment around that and story is really of our of the art of the nudge of our of our framework that we've developed is really the engine that the car and so you know, understanding the story, telling the story and developing that story so that people are called to that action and inspired to action is part of that. So I think sometimes it's it's the gap between what what the senior leadership knows and what gets down to the people who have to initiate all that activity. And again to tie it back sometimes slowing down is the way to speed up pulling that back and getting back to those key initiatives and revisiting those from time to time to say, you know, I know a lot else is going on in your in your day to day, but how are we doing back on these key initiatives? Let's get back to those so resetting the agenda if you will, is that a key part of what you do? Yeah. I think internally we do that, but we also help businesses with their own teams. I had a customer where, you know, they had a group of young women in a role and they were managed by all 40 year old men, and I happened to ask each one of them, you know, why, why do you do what you do? And they're in the HVAC world and these women said, Well, we like. People and I was like, wait a second, you, you work in the HVAC field. How is that possible? I thought you liked this business and they said no we like helping people we like helping their businesses run, help them be comfortable in their day to day environment, put out the fires, and when I went back to their managers and said, What do you think motivates these young women? They said, well, bonuses and if they get more service contracts and And I said, if you don't know what motivates them, then you're not going to be able to push the right buttons with them. I said, What if I told you that each one of them separately answered, We like helping people, and I saw their collective mouths drop and they said, Wow, you know, I said that's what you have to tap into. So that's how you nudge people to change first understanding what makes them tick, what highway they're on, so that you can help them travel those roads most efficiently. But externally it's the same thing in terms of selling and being out there with a business's own customers. How are you influencing and helping inspire those customers to action, to buy what you what you offer, to see what's possible that they don't see? And our experience is that in the selling process a lot of people go to being the technical expert rather than taking a step back and saying let me make sure I gather and really understand my customer's story so that I can, you know, help them more effectively, you know, just like if you go home to your spouse tonight and The husband says to the wife, you know, how was your day? And the wife starts talking about the problems she has, and the husband wants to create a solution right away. Well, the wife's usually going, wait a second, I don't want that. I just wanted you to listen to me, right? So it's the same in business. People want to feel heard and until they feel heard, you don't earn the right to tell them what to do. And this is part of the slowing down to speed up as well. Now you see, listeners, this is the kind of wisdom you need in your business. You need to slow down, back up, have someone come in that understands how to, how to talk to your employees, how to assess what they're looking for and feed that back to you so you can feed that back to them. It's very valuable information. And Christine and beautifully put. So tell us a little bit about how our listeners can get in touch with you and some of your other offers. Sure, well, they can go to our website at CISquared, and that's squared spelled out.net. They can also contact me directly at cs@cisquared.net. We have our book coming out, as you were kind enough to mention in mid June, which Explains the art of the nudge and uh that framework as well as how story uh is the engine of the car we've developed, so to speak, and, and the other tools that we use to enact that and then we do workshops for leadership and sales all around. Using this framework to drive those outcomes and those business initiatives, Christine is available to speak to your business group. Give her a call and ask her to talk to you about how she can come and talk to your attendees about how they can get a nudge and. Of their results. Christine, thanks so much for joining us today. It's fascinating, and I look forward to talking to you again. I'm sure we will have another interview in the future, especially after your book comes out and get deeper into the art of the Nudge. I appreciate it, Bill. Thank you very much. Keep reflecting. I love it. Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. We're going to take a short break. We'll be, we'll be right back after this message, so please stay with us. Just thinking about what will happen to your business if you're gone keep you awake at night? Will you get the price you need from your business to carry you through retirement? 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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and TalkSpace, the leading virtual therapy provider is telling everyone, let's face it, in therapy, by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist at TalkSpace, you can face whatever is holding you back, whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits, or another challenge that you need support to work through. It's easy to sign up. Just go to Talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet. Your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, TalkSpace is in-network with most major insurers, and most insured members have a $0 co-pay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get $80 off your first month with TalkSpace when you go to Talkspace.com and enter promo code S space 80. That's SPA CE 80. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to Talkspace.com and enter promo code S80.