Written by: Vickie Sullivan | December 04, 2018
Do This to Get Buy-in for Your Ideas
As usual, I learned a lot at the Women’s Leadership Board meeting last month at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. What surprised me: The most impactful learning was about myself
Tim O’Brien, alecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, explored why positive change doesn’t stick. What I learned: Every step backward is in defense of a powerful story. Therefore, the real work lies in changing that story, not fixing our to-do list. Why did I buy into this big, strange idea? Here are two techniques that helped me see the light:
• Create an “aha” experience. If O’Brien had just told these powerful women the process, we would have agreed intellectually (maybe) but not commit. Instead, he set up the experience and let us see the dynamic for ourselves. Remember: People own any opinion or ideas that come from experience. Showing will always beat telling.
Listen: Your Best First Step to Create an “Aha” Experience
• Explain the detour. Once we experienced the “aha,” O’Brien showed us the detour. He pointed out the usual path: Work on behaviors needed to change. Then he explained why that strategy doesn’t work and what to do instead. His explanation was better received because it aligned with our experience. So ask yourself: Do you advocate a detour? And if so, how do you explain it?
A lot of people know what to do. The problem is they don’t do it, or they give up on it. O’Brien’s one-two punch: experience, then explanation. Not only does that make his perspective stand, out but it also creates long-lasting value. Speakers who do this will be in great demand.
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