Recently, I had a great opportunity to sit down with a Washington D.C. insider, a man that spent the last three decades as an attorney and policy writer for a federal organization. Not only was he the lead on writing many policies that govern federal agencies, but he is one of the only people have gotten away with telling the White House "No."
During one of our lunch breaks, I asked a pointing questions - How do you change the mindsets of senior executives, who rely on safe, outdated methodologies in a world that is ever changing? This is what he said:
1. What is in it for Them
A simple principle that most negotiators know - people generally only care about what is in it for them. After years of climbing their way to top, senior executive have developed their level of self-centeredness to the highest levels. This does not mean they are bad leaders or jerks, it just means that they are looking for a win-win situation at every turn.To that extent, when presenting or writing policies, you must speak to their wants and needs to be heard. No matter what else is presented in your argument or presentation, there are certain things they need to hear. Therefore a large portion of your research should be finding out what makes them tick and what they need or want, and preparing to address those points.
2. No is not an Answer in Itself
Whether it is you who has to answer no, or the executives, NO is never an answer in itself. If it is you that has to say No, be prepared to back that up with overwhelming data. If no is coming from the senior executives, make them do their jobs by asking HOW you can both arrive at your goals, not WHY they said no. They may or may not ever tell you WHY, but they can provide you a lot more ammunition and courses of action when you ask them HOW.3. Find a Champion among the Executives
You have to find a champion among the executives that can speak about you and your agenda on a peer-to-peer level. They will provide the momentum for you to garner buy in for your ideas.4. Rebuild from the Ground Up
Don't get used to putting small fixes (band-aids) on broken policies and processes. It is much better to define what your end state should be, and then back track all the way back to the beginning to create something you truly want instead.Benjamin Moriniere "Sensei" is a entrepreneur, business consultant, and professional martial artist, instructor in Japan. @CapoeiraOkinawa
