Happy New Year!
I want to share my secret. People often comment on my confidence. They think I’m always confident I’ll get the outcome I want. I don’t look at it that way.
Let me give you an example.
We had been working with a large corporation for about four years. We’d delivered many workshops to many people who worked there over that time. The Training/Talent Development Director I’d been working with left and they replaced him with a new person, Vanessa. Vanessa came in to the job having already decided “Out with the old, and in with the new”. All existing programs, regardless of results, including ours, had to go.
A good number of people there were outraged. They called me and said, “She won’t listen and there’s nothing we can do. We don’t like it, but her boss is saying she’s now in charge so whatever she decides is what we have to go with.”
They asked me to talk with her. Keep in mind I was one of the last people in the world she wanted to talk to.
Yet they had confidence I could turn it around. They assumed I also had confidence that I could. They said, “You’re always so confident!”
I was laughing. There was absolutely NO reason for me to have confidence. I was thinking, “Confidence based on what? She doesn’t want to talk to me, she’s made up her mind.” I mean, what could I possibly have confidence in? Nothing about the situation for sure.
However, since everyone there wanted me to talk with Vanessa, I happily agreed to talk with her.
I have what many people would consider to be a funny viewpoint when it comes to outcomes. I don’t worry about them.
I had no idea what the outcome would be with Vanessa. I could easily imagine that Vanessa would stick with her original decision and that would be that. I could easily envision Vanessa wouldn’t even agree to meet with me.
But then I realized - there was one thing I went into that situation having absolute confidence in.
I had, and have, absolute confidence in my ability to communicate effectively. That’s not the same as having confidence in the outcome.
What enables me to have this level of confidence in my ability to communicate effectively in any situation is a very precise Communication Formula that I follow. I have 100% confidence in my ability to execute on it in even the toughest of circumstances. This is the formula that I teach in Causative Communication.
I use this formula all the time. It always creates an outcome that you’re really thrilled with, and that the other person is also very happy with. You don’t always know what the outcome is going to be in advance – it gets created in the moment, in the process of exchanging ideas. The formula creates a superior level of communication and relationship, and this is what enables the outcome to emerge dynamically and naturally – it’s the natural outgrowth of a truly superior quality of communication and extraordinarily good relationship with the other person or persons.
It takes time to fully master, but it’s worth it. I’ve seen the formula work every time for over 30 years. In our workshops participants are introduced to the formula. It takes a lot of use in many situations after the workshops to gain real mastery. That’s why a number of our clients sign up for additional coaching after the workshops.
Mastering the formula is what gives you solid confidence in your ability to execute on it.
Communication mastery enables me to not even think about the outcome. I know the outcome I want, but I concentrate my attention on the person in front of me and creating a superior level of understanding and a truly great relationship.
While I may not know what the outcome will be, I have confidence that with superior communication, the outcome will be great. For both of us. It’s important to me that the other person feels really good about it also.
Vanessa only reluctantly agreed to meet and insisted it be no more than 30 minutes.
She was cold and unpleasant at the start. She dismissed the results that we’d gotten over 4 years as unimportant and was not impressed by the huge quantity of employee and management support we had. She was impatient for the meeting to be over and was barely polite. That was the start.
But 15 minutes into the meeting, as I continued to use the Communication Formula, Vanessa changed. She was listening to me. She was interested in what I had to say. We had the beginnings of rapport. We were getting along. Vanessa was relaxing, laughing and she started to like me, to enjoy talking with me. I admired her goals, her passion, her zeal and a mighty level of energy that’s extremely rare. We were communicating well. We understood each other.
At the end of 30 minutes, we were on the same side. Vanessa saw me as an ally and I respected her.
Long story short, Vanessa never opened up the bidding for the annual contract to any other vendor. She is solidly staying with our programs, has even expanded them and has became an active champion for them. She is always warm and friendly to me personally.
Why is this important to your New Year? It’s important because one of the most valuable assets for you to have at the start of your new year is solid confidence in your abilities, ESPECIALLY your ability to communicate effectively. To create a superior level of communication and relationship.
When you have that, then you go into any situation, no matter how challenging, with the confidence that you’ll always create a really great outcome, in all your conversations, your meetings and your presentations.
This is the essence of being causative. The essence of true security.
Communication is what you use, it’s what you do, to create every outcome in your life.
52 weeks of great outcomes, all building on each other, is what makes your year a GREAT one.
Investing in your ability to communicate is one of the best investments you can make. It’s your most powerful tool for success. It will pay off big, now and for the rest of your life. Having people around you who also know how to communicate well creates an environment that’s extraordinary and nourishes your creativity and happiness.
The Communication Formula never fails. Learn it, use it, watch as it creates extraordinary outcomes every single time.
If you want any help achieving your personal goals, we will be more than happy to help you.
I wish you an absolutely spectacular and causative New Year!
Be the cause!