081: Your Questions Answered: How To Get Your Boss to Listen
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This week Katie and I get to answer your questions and we are particularly excited about this week’s show. We are specifically addressing two common issues that have been posed by our listeners. First, how do we get our boss to listen to our ideas? Certainly we have all been in a situation where we want to contribute an idea but the receiver just doesn’t seem open to our suggestions. It is an age-old problem with some very good solutions. Sharing feedback with another person is frightening enough but when it comes to our boss, that can be even more vexing. And, Katie offers a really nice concept that she refers to as “con-ex-con”. This means, establish the context first, give an example and then close with the context. Here are five other things you can consider when it comes to understanding your boss’ ideas as well as sharing your own and offering feedback: 5 things to consider: 1) any boss is likely thinking about the big picture and not one isolated thing occurring on your job 2) they don’t do your job so assuming they know every detail is silly although we judge them for not doing so 3) be clear about what you really need up front…don’t hedge 4) Use yes..and..never yeah, but 5) demonstrate and articulate the win/win/win you are proposing.
Our second question comes to us by way of the use of technology and how we include our whole self into communication processes. In other words, how does the body fit into our email transmissions and being able to connect with another person? We explore the possibilities and how our language, even in an email, is facilitated by our body state as well as our mental state. And, there is just no substitute for keeping email and electronic communication to as straightforward as possible. When emotional topics are being discussed, sometimes it is best to at least use the phone or get together in person. For sure, not all forms of communication are the same.
But let us know what you think and contribute your own answers to this week’s show.