Focus
Book

Focus

Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence

Heidi Grant Halvorson and E. Tory Higgins
Hudson Street Press, 2013

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Heidi Grant Halvorson and E. Tory Higgins describe motivation in an unusual way. Readers will quickly grasp what motivates the eager, “promotion-focused” go-getter, but may have trouble understanding people whose motivation is “prevention-focused” – those who thrive on worry and succeed by avoiding failure. Chapters devoted to these two drives regarding their influence on work, child rearing, romance and the world at large illuminate their singularity and importance. This book provides valuable, detailed explanations and anecdotes of how “fit” combines with focus to create powerful persuasive tools at work and at home. Even if the book sometimes seems to be a one-trick pony, its basic concepts are significant. getAbstract recommends this approach to marketers, those curious about human behavior, and those seeking insight into their motivation and focus.

Summary

“Promotion” and “Prevention”

Motivation comes in two varieties. One is “promotion focus,” the drive to do more and better. People thus motivated want to move ahead to explore how they might gain. An equally strong motivation is “prevention focus” – people hunker down with what they have and want to keep.

Both motivators originate with the need for nurturance and safety. Nurture requires aggressive action, a leaping forward – that’s promotion. Safety necessitates being circumspect and wise – that’s prevention. One or the other motive drives each person, but not consistently. Those buying lottery tickets focus on promotion and gain. Those seeking flu shots focus on prevention. The promotion-focused turn toward positive events. The prevention-focused listen for bad news. The promotion-focused concentrate on “eager means,” profit and advancement. The prevention-focused look to “vigilant means,” holding what they’ve got and avoiding mistakes.

Too Good to Succeed?

Many people succeed not by thinking positively, but by fearing failure. Framing information one way for the promotion-minded and differently for preventers provides equal motivation to both.

About the Authors

Psychology and management professor E. Tory Higgins is director and Heidi Grant Halvorson is associate director of Columbia University Business School’s Motivation Science Center.

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