Win the Heart, the Mind Follows

How do you get the people on your side or inspire a vision or change the world?  First win the heart.  I'm blogging on this because it's a lesson I've learned that shows up in so many ways, time and again.  I see it in thought leaders.  I see it in people leaders.  I see it in everyday, conversational exchange.  This is one of those ah-ha's that when it sinks in, you find opportunities to apply it every day to improve your effectiveness.

Connecting at the Heart vs. Connecting at the Intellect
If you connect at the heart, the mind follows. Interestingly,if you connect at the intellect, you may not necessarily get the heart to follow. 

Go For the Heart
If you have great ideas, but people aren't on board, chances are you've been ignoring the heart.  Change your approach.  One way to invoke the heart is to address core values: loyalty, commitment and contribution, individual worth and dignity, and integrity.

Example
One of my former leaders is known for inspiring people.  For example, whenever I would tell him about a project, he would first ask me how I was going to change the world and who the dream team would be to make it happen? 

While he couldn't always get me the dream team, he first focused on a compelling vision and that was inspirational.  Where the heart goes, the mind follows.  In fact, in many cases I was able to get the dream team, because of the emotional commitment to make it happen.  Inspired visions trump purely intellectual ones.

Posts with Pictures
While studying effective blogging practices, I noticed a success pattern.  The pattern is to start your post with a picture.  Ironically, I fought this pattern because the engineer in me wants efficient, effective value in text.  So do a lot of engineers.  However, many don't. 

Choosing the right picture can cause your readers to have an emotional reaction to your information, and draw them into your post.  If you don't believe me, take a look at Alik's post Glue Audience To Your Presentation With ZoomIt.  Tell me that picture doesn't get you curious?  While your picture should be relevant, it should also cause your readers to feel something, and have a reaction.  An extreme anti-pattern is to use pictures to trick readers into your posts.

It Works On You
If you know this, you can inspire yourself.  Rather than smart talk yourself into something, try winning over your heart first.  How can you get leverage on yourself?  What inspires you?  Win your heart and your mind will follow. 

Additional Resources