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.
One Reason You Should Avoid Productivity
You might be making one of the biggest mistakes you can make.Please don't think productivity is the same as happiness.Checking off boxes may feel good, but it's not the fuel for fulfillment.Do not presuppose that being productive with your time will create sustainable, long-term happiness.
- No job in the world is going to make you happy unless you're already happy.
- No work in the world is going to make you happy unless you're already happy.
- No partner in the world is going to make you happy unless you're already happy.
If you truly think being productive is the source of your happiness, please take time to zoom out and observe your own narrative.What's good about being productive?Usually, it's the hit of dopamine from checking off a box.Groceries? Done.Dry cleaner? Done.Birthday card? Done.You get the point.
2 Minute Action
Are you willing to forego happiness in exchange for output?Set a timer for 2 minutes and give yourself the space to consider what you want to focus on, today.Turning gears faster in a gearbox is a great way to make more widgets, but it's also a great way to let the world pass by.
3 Quick Ways To Start Succeeding (That You Haven't Heard Before)
Things you've already heard before:
- Work hard.
- Work on the right stuff.
- Spend every dollar like it's your last.
- Start today.
Things you haven't heard before:
- Mimic characteristics of people who tend to get lucky and make them your mentors.
- Find a therapist who understands CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) and hire them to help you understand your decision-making behavior.
- Develop and re-develop your life's mission as you go. It's an important part of getting there.