[Flash] Knowing Isn’t Doing! Exchange Willpower for Mentor Power

According to Fogg, we assume that giving people information will change their behavior. But information does not equate to action, as evidenced by our unfettered access to the world’s information via the internet since 1995.

Why? Fogg believes we are missing an emotional link.

For change to happen, Fogg says three things must come together:

1. Motivation to do the behavior
2. Ability to do the behavior
3. Prompt to take action

According to Fogg, his breakthrough was understanding that there has to be a prompt, something that says, “Do this behavior now!”

A calendar reminder is a prompt. An alarm is a prompt. A Post-it note is a prompt. A Mentor asking about progress is a prompt.

We can forge behavior change simply by focusing on prompt design.

• Identify the new behavior
  (ex: exercise more or stop procrastinating)
• Find the prompts that can trigger the new behavior
  (ex: engage a Mentor in our goal to exercise more and procrastinate less)
• Use feelings of success to wire the behavior and create a new habit
  (ex: Mentor praises our progress)

Mentors can serve as prompts, but only if we involve them with regular cadence.

I’ve observed the power of the “Mentor prompt” when I ask this question on the final program evaluation: “How often did you meet with your mentoring partner?”

After analyzing the results of this question alongside the impact-of-mentoring questions (ex: What did you accomplish together?), I invariably discover, time and again, that those who meet consistently achieve more, feel more confident, and create more value than those who meet “as needed.”

For example, a recent program evaluation survey revealed that:

• Of those who met monthly, 92% increased their confidence and 98% achieved their goals
• Of those who met as needed, only 61% increased their confidence and only 54% achieved their goals

Not surprising. When we know that someone we respect and trust (our Mentor) will inquire about our attempts on a certain date, we take action. But without that regular prompt, we might want to change, and we might be able to change, but we don’t typically take action to change.

To design a powerful Mentor Prompt, enlist a Mentor to meet every 2-4 weeks to:

• explore your vision for change,
• ask about your efforts,
• support you through struggles,
• praise your progress

Why change alone? Exchange willpower for mentor power! 

© 2026. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved.