Don’t dress up your opinions as facts.
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
“Don’t dress up your opinions as facts. Take responsibility for the subjective nature of your conclusions and make room for other points of view.“Â ~-Ron McMillan, coauthor of Crucial Conversations
Love the Crucial Conversations material from “Vital Smarts”. There newsletter is pretty great too. Click here to seen an online version of it. Look at the Q&A for today focused on “Are you facing a potential layoff?”
I pulled this nuggest on “Natural Consequences from the left hand column. It’s an approach I have been using successfully or over 10 years. I gained clarity on it while listening to some material from Stephen Covey and used it initially with at risk teenagers.Â
Using Natural Consequences to Motivate
One of the best ways to motivate others is to help them see the natural consequences their actions (or inaction) may lead to. Here are tips for effectively exploring consequences with others:
Know when to back off. As you’re explaining the impact on stakeholders, the other person is often explaining his or her reasons for not complying. As the other person talks, if it becomes clear that the cost is truly too great, back off. Your goal is to do what’s right, not to win.
Know when to stop. If you’ve explained the consequences and the other person agrees to comply, don’t continue. If you do, it can feel like you’re piling it on.
Know how to finish. After the other person has agreed to comply, finish by clarifying what you will do, what the other person will do, and set clear deadlines and follow-up times. Then follow up.
It’s still OK to dress up for work… just not your opinions as facts. 
Kirk Out
