Page 92 - The Power to Change Anything

Make Change Inevitable 81

Source 6: Structural Ability. Lastly, locals don’t have all the tools
they need to filter the water or to care for their wounds in a way
that keeps them away from the community water source. Worse
still, the layout of the village makes access to the public water
supply so easy and natural that it’s enormously tempting for vic-
tims to merely plunge their aching arm or leg into the water—
at the peril of everyone else. If you don’t work on this last source
of influence, structural ability, you’re also likely to fail.

MAKE USE OF ALL SIX SOURCES

Now that we’ve explored how all six sources of influence came
into play with the Guinea worm project, it’s easy to see why
influence geniuses take pains to address each source when
going head to head with a profound and persistent problem.
Leave out one source, and you’re likely to fail.
Throughout the remainder of this book—to demonstrate
how the six sources can be applied in combination—we
explore what Dr. Silbert has done with each of these influence
tools to help transform lifelong felons into productive citizens.
At the home level, we follow an individual who is trying to lose
weight and see how each of the six sources might apply to this
widespread (pun intended) problem. Finally, we’d ask you to
pick a challenge of your own and read each of the six chapters
with that problem in mind. Then fashion your own six-source
influence strategy. Do it correctly, and like Dr. Silbert and
dozens of other successful influencers, you’ll solve problems
that have had you and others stumped for years.