Page 26 - The Power to Change Anything

You’re an Influencer 15

James changed in ways that are hard to imagine. When we
first visited Delancey, he was professionally dressed and had not
used drugs or alcohol in two years. To learn how Dr. Silbert
influences this kind of change, we touch base with her work
throughout this book. She draws from the principles and prac-
tices of every one of the influence geniuses we’ve studied to date.
Combining principles learned in Tanzania, practices honed
in Mexico City, and theories developed in Palo Alto helps us
understand how Ralph Heath in Marietta, Georgia, was able to
influence the behavior of 4,500 engineers and craftsmen to move
a stalled product from design to production, resulting in billions
of dollars in needed sales; why Mike Miller was able to change
the culture of a massive IT group in order to dramatically
improve performance; and what makes it possible for an individ-
ual who has struggled to lose weight for years to finally turn the
corner. But most importantly, these proven concepts, principles,
and theories will help you, your family, your company, and your
community develop an influence repertoire of enormous power.

SOME AMAZING CASES

Leaving San Francisco for warmer climes and more far-
reaching methods, we head to Mexico City to visit TV pro-
ducer Miguel Sabido. He has created a method for influenc-
ing hundreds of thousands of people at a time.
Sabido has perfected strategies for changing how people
think and behave by producing life-changing soap operas—of
all things. At one point, when Sabido aimed his popular TV
show Ven Conmigo (“Come with Me”) at improving literacy
(a problem that had remained intractable for decades), his TV
characters propelled over a quarter of a million viewers into the
streets of Mexico City—all in search of free literacy booklets
that were shown on the program. Sabido’s work in entertain-
ment education has now been replicated in dozens of coun-
tries with remarkable success. A careful review of his work helps