Creating the Innovation Culture by Frances Horibe

Author:Frances Horibe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: VisionArts Inc
Published: 2016-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

5. Get your opening line down pat

As I mentioned earlier, your first task will be to convince the dissenter he needs to change at all, so your opening lines will be critical. Here are some possibilities that you could apply to a variety of situations:

•Implementing the idea is just as important as the idea itself. Otherwise, it’s a waste of creativity.

•You know what politicians say their first duty is? Staying elected. It kind of makes sense. If nobody is listening, you can’t influence them. That’s true here, too. If people have turned off, they won’t hear the great idea. We need to stay elected too.

•We’re asking people to take on a really tough challenge. I know it’s worthwhile but we need to pace how much we ask of them.

•This is too great an idea to lose—but if we don’t have senior management’s confidence, it’ll go nowhere.

•You know, your idea makes marketing look bad. I know that shouldn’t make a difference but it does. We don’t want to lose the whole shooting match just because someone’s nose is out of joint.

•You know and I know that this idea is important. It’s ripe for us. But it hasn’t ripened on the tree for everybody. We’ve got to be smart about how we get them to see what we see.

Once you have the opening line, list the points you want to cover: state the problem and why it’s important to talk about it; the data you have to support your view; what needs to be different; how you are willing to help.

Avoid the word ‘coach’ Although I’ve used the word frequently in this chapter, I almost never do so in the conversations. ‘Coach’ has too much baggage attached to it, too much “I-know-best-you-should-listen.” Instead, use substitutes such as the following:

• throw some ideas around

• brainstorm options

• get a different perspective

• be a sounding board

However, even though the words are less prescriptive sounding, you still need to do the coaching. If the dissenter resists, you may need to move to expressions that make it clearer there is an imperative or urgency about the matter. These might include:

• need to work through the problem

• decide how to avoid the problem

• resolve the concern

And remember, although you would prefer the dissenter want to be coached, there may be times when you have to do it even if he doesn’t.

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