The round-up
We sure do spend a lot of time at work herding the cats! Every stalled ask at work boils down to one of three issues:
You might be asking the wrong person
you need both authority and ability. one might be missing!
ask yourself if you have the right seniority level
getting a yes but no movement? you need to go one level down
getting interest but nothing’s happening? you need to go one level up
You might be assuming they get it
what feels like resistance is usually unfamiliarity, and closing that gap is ultimately your job
provide more evidentiary backing to help them understand the ask
show a future state if requesting a change
bring outside research/social proof if you want to do something differently
swap “i feel like” for “my instinct is” to reduce opinion-debating
You might be asking too much
reducing the mental load of what you’re asking to get what you actually need
if you want someone to review something, tell them what level of feedback is appropriate
10% feedback? they can throw out the entire idea
90% feedback? mostly wordsmithing and polish
send a screen-recording instead of asking for a meeting
reframe your ask as a yes/no or pick from options
The next two
Giving and Receiving Feedback
Friday, 10/2 at 12PM ET (register here)
I’m going to hold your hand when I say this, the term feedback makes me cringe. That being said, let’s talk about how to say the thing:
tactics for difficult feedback
go-to phrases for behavior feedback instead of personality feedback
how to incorporate more good feedback into your communication loop
working through actual feedback you have to give
The Go-Round: People Manager Edition
Friday, 10/9 at 12PM ET (register here)
Calling all people managers! Join hands and talk shop about what’s going on in your world:
how much of your own stress do you expose to your team?
handling underperformance
managing tough situations (someone who used to be your peer, someone who didn’t get a promotion, someone burned out, etc etc)
working through a specific situation with people who also manage people
Down the trail
A fresh new month’s worth of topics. The only thing missing is your RSVP!
The Go Round: Consulting Edition — Friday, 10/16
The Go-Round: Is This Normal? — Friday, 10/23
The Haunted Go-Round — Friday, 10/30
Thanks and see you around,
Ashley
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