(An earlier, popular article republished for your enjoyment!)
One of my favorite quotes is, “Be who you are and say what you think because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” (Dr. Seuss)
But we don’t always know the best ways to communicate how we feel, do we? We DO know that folks we wish to influence WILL mind and it WILL matter what we say.
As an example, Tracey Ryan, Manager of Office Services for ESRI, the GIS Software Leader, is a subscriber who wrote me to ask, “…what words should I use to introduce a new change for my department?” Her department is consolidating with another and she wanted phrases, keywords or language to promote the benefits of this change to her team as they make the announcement.
She’s not trying to “snow” them, manipulate anyone or put a happy face on a challenging transition. She wants language to promote the positives because she knows that ANY change can be challenging for some folks.
If you’ve attended my behavioral styles or DiSC(R) social styles class, you know some of us are just hard-wired for non-stop excitement. The more change, the better! But others prefer a more predictable environment. Change is unsettling and unnerving for some. They need encouragement to know they’re in good hands and that everything will be okay. And who better to offer those words of encouragement than those in a frontline leadership position?
So here are the words and phrases I sent her, in addition to others that came to mind as I wrote this post. (Care to add any of your own?)
Benefits include:
1. We will have a bigger pool of creative ideas, strengths and talents from which to draw on
2. It will broaden opportunities to learn new techniques and applications
3. We will be exposed to new challenges, which will test our creativity and problem-solving abilities
4. There will be new ways we can influence the organization as a whole
5. We’ll get new opportunities to learn from one another
6. We’ll all benefit from forging new relationships, since we all know that “affiliation” builds trust
7. We’ll have more of a hand in streamlining processes and developing new procedures to get better results
8. You’ll become much more marketable in your career because of this experience
9. You’ll become much more valuable to the organization as a result of this experience
10. The organization will become more aware of what we’re capable of
11. You’ll become more aware of what you’re capable of
12. It’s clear to me we’ll be consolidating the best of “both worlds”
13. No one knows better than you, what kind of difference we can make
14. There will be numerous new ways we can make a bigger difference to one another
15. You’ll get greater opportunities to expand your knowledge base
16. You’ll have more career growth paths from which to follow in the future
17. No one will ever be able to say we’re a “one trick pony”
18. We’ll be better positioned to attract top talent from outside/within the organization/industry
19. This change will reinvigorate our organization
20. It will rekindle the spirit that made us so effective in the first place
21. We’ll experience a balanced approach to leverage our talents/strengths/processes/procedures
22. It will allow us to become more innovative
23. This new direction will rejuvenate our energy and creativity
24. It will give us the opportunity to reinvent the impact we have on others (customers, partners, sponsors, donors, competitors)
25. We have the right to be able to show our stuff in much more visible, influential way than ever before!
26. Imagine the impact you’re going to have!
27. We’ll do our best to make this as much of a hassle-free experience as possible
28. As a team, we’ll become more effective/knowledgeable/influential/good-looking as a result of this process (did ya catch that?)
29. I/your leadership team will be much, much easier to live with! (Live a little. Throw in a few humorous lines to surprise ‘em and make ‘em laugh!)
CLOSING NOTE: In a former life as a Sales Team Manager and Employee Benefits person, it was my responsibility to promote the benefits of programs, services and products. As any good relationship sales person knows, it’s also wise to anticipate objections. So, before you roll out all those positive words, do an informal poll to find out what fears, frustrations or concerns people might have about this change. That will give you the opportunity in advance to address the issues in a constructive way.
And if you’re looking for a tool of influence, allow me to offer my CARLA Concept(TM) Communication Model as an approach to overcome objections:
C – state the challenge, change or circumstances you face
A – outline the actions you can take in the future or that you’ve taken in the past
R – project the results you hope to achieve or that you’ve achieved in the past
L – discuss the “lessons learned” along the way
A – brainstorm alternatives/options/possibilities for the future, now that you know what you know
Oh, and how did it turn out for Tracey? Here’s what she said:
“Laura, this was incredibly helpful, and SO timely. Our new director scheduled a “meet and greet” briefing this morning, so your response was just in time. I don’t mind if you mention my name and company, by the way. It is a fascinating place to work—Jack Dangermond is such a visionary individual and he and his wife Laura started the company right out of college with only $1500 research money. Thank you again, Tracey”
Tracey, you’re most welcome!
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