“You’ve got to ride the horse in the direction it is going” -Old Texas saying
One of my clients is in a key position with a start-up company. He is an exceptional leader with boundless energy and focus. As you can imagine, it is important for Ray to continuously sell ideas to his very busy boss.
At first it was frustrating trying to corner his boss for a quality conversation. It seemed like the boss was always distracted. Then Ray got wise: He employed the concept of “pattern recognition”. This means that we lay aside our patterns and routines and take the time to observe and understand the person we need to persuade. Ray noticed that his boss always did his “deep” work on Thursday nights. Ray also discovered that if he presented a plan or idea on Thursday afternoon, his boss would include it in his “deep” study time. As a result, Ray has been able to sell almost every idea he has presented, and he is now able to work more efficiently.
How about you? Do you find yourself having difficulty getting past those human “bottlenecks”? Think of a person you need to connect with. What are their work patterns? If you don’t know, ask them. Most people love to talk about themselves. If you employ this “pattern recognition”, you will more likely come in on the right wavelength, and be better equipped to influence.
