Getting to the YES

In my last customer facing leadership role (back in London in the naughties) I had an assistant manager (lets call her Beth) that had control of the team roster, stocktake, and cash procedures when I arrived on the scene. She had a long tenure and had a reputation as being accomplished. In my first year I noticed all sorts of issues in the business like in-fighting and disgruntlement in the team. I sat back and observed for a few months as I learnt the lie of the land and didn't do much. Unknowingly it was a good move as it helped me set the tone for changes I would make in the future. However, the reality is I was mostly too frightened to speak up or create more tension on top of what already existed.

As I grew in confidence I started to make changes and take back control over time (the roster) and resources (the stock and cash). Beth didn't like this trend and constantly belittled me, made grievances against me and increasingly called in sick. It wasn't fun and created all sorts of doubt within me daily for over a year. I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful boss that believed in me and helped me stay the course when I just wanted to bail or give up.

With a lot of fortitude and effort I eventually got on top of the cash and stock discrepancies (under tremendous scrutiny from head office representatives). The team stabilised as rosters became fairer with much better floor cover causing less strain and better customer service. All while my relationship with Beth deteriorated further and further. She eventually asked to move into another team which everyone seemed happy about. I thought I was doing a good job and started to get noticed by my management colleagues, the wider staff, and senior managers as sales figures started matching and exceeding targets.

A few months down the line I was on a day off enjoying a slow start to the day. I was getting out the shower and about to get dressed when my new assistant manager called. She started by saying, "you'll never believe what just happened!" 

Two police officers had come to the business. They met with my boss and Beth for about 20 minutes. Then Beth was marched out by the police on the spot.

Beth had been stealing stock on a regular basis for well over a year and selling it online (in retail this is called the grey market). They had been tracking her activity for quite some time and eventually chose their moment to pounce. As I was listening I was both shocked and excited - the scandal! And then I had a wide smile on my face thinking of the justice of it all. Beth had made my life a living hell and I would have paid good money to be at work that day and see it for myself.  

Over a decade later and my reflection is very different.

I have realised Beth's crime had taken place under my watch. Without being responsible for the crime I had contributed to it. I did not have the skills or ability to get to know Beth, understand her behaviour, or keep her truly accountable. I had not been able to communicate my vision for the team and how much opportunity there was for her. She never had a choice, or at least she was never presented with one that would motivate her to change her perspective and buy-in to the new possibilities.

It is a moment in my career I think about often. And one of the most functional and rich lessons for what humility looks like as a leader. It also taught me about the value of organising my strategies and being able to communicate them. If I was able to lay out my strategy to Beth and the wider team to gain a shift in their thinking I would have saved over a year of painful experiences for me, a lot of company resource and a hopefully a conviction for Beth (note - lets not forget about our daily client's experiences too!)      

This is what strategic leadership is all about. Knowing the macro game, running through a clear process to decide on the best changes possible, and then communicating them. During my work at the Australian Institute of Management I have gone deep on this and after studying the works of Joseph Campbell, Seth Godin, Simon Sinek, Kim and Mauborgne, Paul D MacLean and many more, two things are clear to me regarding 'gaining a yes' to our ideas from others (including and especially the resistant ones):

Thinking in stories is crucial 

People don't listen nearly as much as we hope. They've got too much going on (mostly between the ears). Oscar Trimboli states in his book 'How to listen' that human's have a talking speed of 125 words per minute, listening speed of 400 words/min and thinking speed of 900 words/min. Cutting through all that noise in a person's mind is difficult. Blurting out what you think about a subject, stats, data, and opinions tends to make little indentation. People pretend to listen, nod their head and ignore the emails. Then they do what they want to do or what they think is best (or best for them). Your instructions and strategies tend to evaporate into the atmosphere.

So, it is clear we all need to become better listeners (I recommend Trimboli's book as a great learning resource on this). But to lead change we must become better story tellers. Stories stick. They grab our attention and imagination. They create an indent and a pathway towards better stronger agreements to our plans. Think in stories, prepare and curate stories, and practice telling stories well.

What is the business plan?

Often, because we are employed by a company we can forget we are all in charge of a business. Every position in every company is responsible for a business of some kind. Every contractor and product represents a business. Even the smallest project or department (or non-commercial work) have a simple business plan attached to it. Being able to understand the business plan and create a business case for each change you want to execute elevates ideas into bona fide strategies worth listening to.

Some organisations may have a business case template or form. These are nice but taking it further to create a tailored structure to sell and excite your audience is so much more effective. Learning how to pitch and weave in captivating stories can create tremendous momentum over 6, 12 and 18 months. It can become a rinse-and-repeat process every business leader can use. And, like anything I endorse, it can be tailored to everyone's own personality, language and industry.

I often reflect on the trajectory of my management career and Beth's life if I had learnt these skills 20 years ago. Maybe it wouldn't have made much difference and Beth may have still made the same decisions and ended up in cuffs. But I don't believe that - my instinct is we would have all come off better. It is a reflection I keep close to my heart and mind when designing workshops and working with clients of all kinds. We all have our version of 'Beth Moments' and honing our ability to gain a yes to our plans from the Beth's of this world is one of the most empowering and cleverest professional skills we can invest in.

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