The Titleless Leader by Nan S. Russell

Author:Nan S. Russell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Career Press
Published: 2012-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

Making it doable

A letter announcing a food drive and requesting canned food donations from dorm-dwellers yielded poor results, with just eight percent of students donating. However, when researchers changed the message to include a precise map, a request for a can of beans, and ideas on how to fit the drop-off into a normal routine, 42 percent of typically charitable students and 25 percent of the pre-identified least charitable students donated.

They made the request more doable. That changed the results. Describing that research in their book, Switch, Chip and Dan Heath call it “tweaking the environment” or “making it a smooth path.” According to them, “What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem. And no matter what your role is, you’ve got some control over the situation.”2

To get desired results, help others do what you need them to do. Just like the food drive made it simple to donate by providing a very specific request and supporting information, your role is to make it easy for others to do what you need. A few tips to get you started:

Commit it. Salespeople ask for the sale, and you need to ask for a commitment and projected delivery: “Can I count on you for this? When can I expect you’d get it to me?” Then offer assistance and ask what help might ease their priorities or smooth their way: “What can I do to help you? Is there anything you need?” Follow through immediately if you need to involve others, or provide additional information. Finally, get permission to follow up: “Is it okay if I check back next week and see if you need anything else?” This check-in is not an attempt to manage. It’s a second chance for you to clear obstacles or assist should difficulties arise. It’s also a time to provide a status update on changes or challenges that could affect the goal.

Help it. Information crucial for you to move forward may be low on other people’s priority list. So help them help you. Write the copy, then get their okay. Develop the spec, straw-person, or outline and have them sign off. Complete the funding documents or shepherd approvals through the process. Write the proposal and give it to them or their staff for review. Figure out ways to help them help you.

Plan it. Have a specific plan B. The operative word is specific. Most people think about plan B when plan A unravels. But the time to think about B is when planning A. Working the details of your preferred plan helps you figure out what you’ll do if they can’t make x happen, or are pulled to another project, precisely what you’ll do. As the principles of success author Napoleon Hill put it, “The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.”

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