You Can Change Other People

CHAPTER 21QUESTION 3: HOW CAN YOU USE THE PROBLEM TO ACHIEVE YOUR ENERGIZING OUTCOME?: THANK GOODNESS FOR THIS PROBLEM

At this point, you and your conversation partner should have a clear sense of the outcome they want, a detailed picture of what's happening now, as well as a catalog of what they've tried in the past.

You've built rapport, decoupled the data from their interpretation of that data, and highlighted the gap between what is and what they want. Essentially, you've been laying out the facts in relation to their energizing outcome.

That's no small thing. Often, just asking people about what they really want, and what people are actually doing and saying (rather than accepting labels such as obnoxious or dysfunctional), can give rise to a fresh perspective and open new possibilities for action.

That sets us up for the next phase of the Opportunity step, in which you guide them to use the problem to help achieve the energizing outcome. What you're looking for is the opportunity hiding in the problem. Where there's a problem, there's an opportunity, as illustrated by the saying, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”

In many stellar organizations, for example, problems are celebrated as doorways to systemic improvements. When a line worker pulls the kill switch to stop production because of a defective part, everyone cheers. Because they now have a chance to fix, not just the defective part, but the processes that created it so it won't happen again.

Help your partner ...