When

• I outlined the complete methodology, statistical results, the companies

I’ve studied the research on goal-setting and goal achievement. A lot of it centers on diet and fitness because (a) there’s a huge population of people interested in such goals, (b) it’s easy to measure, and (c) with record numbers of Americans either obese or out of shape, there’s a huge (and compelling) history of failure in this area. I’ve

The only natural law I’ve witnessed in three decades of observing successful people’s efforts to become more successful is this: People will do something—including changing their behavior—only if it can be demonstrated that doing so is in their own best interests as defined by their own values.

I tell my clients, “It’s a lot harder to change people’s perception of your behavior than it is to change your behavior. In fact, I calculate that you have to get 100% better in order to get 10% credit for it from your coworkers.”

Stop trying to change people who should not be in their job.

Unlike feedback, which often introduces a discussion of mistakes and shortfalls, feedforward focuses on solutions, not problems. On the most elemental level, it works because people do not take feedforward as personally as feedback. Feedforward is not seen as an insult or a putdown. It is hard to get offended about a suggestion aimed at helping us

People permit themselves to issue destructive comments under the excuse that they are true. The fact that a destructive comment is true is irrelevant. The question is not, “Is it true?” but rather, “Is it worth it?”

When we do what we choose to do, we are committed. When we do what we have to do, we are compliant.