5
- What third party influenced Reed’s judgment? Why?
- What one lesson from this case study can help you most in
future counseling sessions?
Five Steps to Modifying Behavior .....................................................................
“Behavior modification” was a big phrase during the ’70s and
’80s. It remains a valuable management tool. Modifying behavior
perfectly describes what a team does in order to win. You coach a
team to avoid defeat, and you modify behaviors by the way you
adapt each person’s behavior and that of the team’s. “Behavior
mod” (as it is nicknamed) techniques add to an effective
counseling session.
Here are five approaches to modifying behavior ... yours and
your employees’ ... that will produce dramatic victories if
practiced faithfully.
- Gain agreement on the problem.
- Agree on necessary action.
- Identify consequences.
- Tie consequences to basic needs.
- Reward achievement.
Gain Agreement That a Problem Exists
The very first thing that must happen in any counseling
session is to sit down with the person concerned and agree that
“we’ve” got a problem. That may not be as easy as it sounds —
but without it, the rest of behavior modification doesn’t mean
anything. If you can’t get agreement that a problem exists, a
resolution is impossible. Your first goal, therefore, is to gain that
agreement. You want commitment, not compliance, long term. 189
The Counselor Role: Confrontation and CorrectionC A S E S T U D Y