7
Getting Commitment on a Common Direction
Don’t push it if the parties have seemingly different interests. It takes time to find common (or higher) ground. Hang in there, move slowly, allow relationships and trust to form; only that trust will help reveal what might be in common.
—Frank Dukes
In Chapter Six I introduced the concept of the S curve. In order to move up the S and get to the point where performance takes off, the team needs to agree on its goal and some strategies for achieving it. This is the point in many projects when the members move from polite discussions to direct and candid engagement. What are the parties’ underlying interests? What will success look like? Can they talk honestly about their interests, about “what’s ...