Written by: Vickie Sullivan | January 18, 2022
Ideas that Get Noticed Are Those that Flip the Script
To get your new ideas out there, sometimes you have to challenge a popular story. A great example of how to flip that script comes from Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro, authors of Power, For All: How It Really Works and Why It’s Everyone’s Business. In the book, they explore how power is distributed and used.
Here are two strategies to help get people to pay attention to your new ideas:
• Highlight the impact. Instead of using facts to refute the “power is dirty” story, the authors focus on the impact. To paraphrase: We tell ourselves is power is dirty, so it’s good we don’t have it. Which is why we leave it to others to decide for us.
By focusing on the story’s impact, we highlight the outcome most folks don’t want. This discovery is much more effective than persuasion.
• Highlight the antidote. Another way to contest a popular story is with a litany of examples. Instead, Battilana and Casciaro acknowledge the reality: that power can poison any of us. This took away any “what about…” list of examples from the critics. But then they drilled down to the crossroads with this point: Power can be dirty when hubris and self-focus take over. The antidote for keeping that dynamic in check is humility and empathy. This technique works great when the story we want to change has some truth.
Listen: Two Stories to Flip Your Scripts In 2022
It isn’t enough to have a great solution because all change consists of risk. To get a fair hearing for your ideas, confront the stories that support the status quo.
Now Read This:
- Choose Your Stories Wisely
- Strategic Sounding Boards Give Real-World Advice for When the Rubber Meets the Road