How To Get People To Follow You When They Disagree
I was talking with a client, once, about implementing a new protocol within his team."How will we get people on board with this?"
That question has a 2 part answer.
Part 1
It helps if someone has done this before. This is called evidence-based implementation and it may require hiring a consultant, doing a lot of reading, or perhaps getting a colleague trained in a new skill.But part 2 is even more helpful.
Part 2
You are going to need to get alignment from the team who will be responsible for doing the work.Don't think for 2 seconds that the group of people who will have to live with this decision are going to just trust you without having any skin in day-to-day game.To be clear, I'm not saying you need to get everyone to AGREE. You just need to get everyone ALIGNED.Agreement is nearly impossible to get and the odds get slimmer as the team gets larger. It also doesn't prevent people from changing their minds that the plan was a good idea. Blame will still fly. Resentment will still build.Alignment is a way to get a large group of people behind a new decision even if they don't agree. You can say things like "if I'm wrong about this and we have to back out, I'll buy everyone tickets to the sportsball game," or "I'm willing to be wrong about this idea--but we have to try it first. I need your help testing this out and finding the strengths and weaknesses in this plan."Most people, even if they don't agree with you, can align with a mission like this. This also allows people to see that you're taking a pretty reasonable, results-driven approach instead of a blindly led, authoritarian one.When it gets hard, people who are aligned will continue to do the work (even if they disagree), because they know the intention behind the idea and they know their supervisor has their backs.
2 Minute Action:
If you're trying something new with your team, partner, spouse, organization, etc. . .Take 2 minutes to:
- Reach out as soon as possible with the idea/plan/goal and where it came from.
- Paint the picture of the promised land.
- Say what you will do if it blows up.
Show deliberation.Show empathy.Show a focus on results.
The Counterintuitive Effect Of Employee Of The Month
What is it about the employee of the month program that feels so fake and contrived?The weird thing is, that it's programs like this, that are intended to recognize people for their hard work, that fall short in delivering the one thing that people need to be the best, highest output versions of themselves.It's the recognition for their work that people are looking for.It's the idea that their work matters.Still unsure? Check out these quick and powerful stats about employee recognition.
It's clear:
People don't leave bad jobs.People leave bad managers.
So what do you do?
Take literally 2 minutes each day and recognize someone on your team.
2 Minute Action:
Just call them out for something they did when no one was looking.
- Send an email.
- Post in your Slack lobby.
- Write a thank you card.
It takes 2 minutes.Everyone has 2 minutes to recognize the people around you for the great work they're doing.
One Simple Trick To A Productive Team
Most will agree: employees don’t leave bad jobs.They leave bad managers.The employee of the month program isn’t working.There are only so many “atta boy’s” that can land effectively.Without recognizing the hard work and sacrifices of your team, you alienate them and build resentment.Resentment is not a great emotion for productivity.The weird thing is that it really only takes a minute to make someone on your team feel like what they do matters.And when people feel good about the work they’re doing, they tend to do more of it and they tend to do it better.Go figure.
2 Minute Action:
Look someone in the eye and tell them why what they did was great.Be specific. Tell them exactly what was so great and the difference it makes to your project.