FBP Newsletter #33: Are You Focused on Being Right All of the Time

Hello and welcome...?to my weekly newsletter, where I share 3 things weekly to help you become a great FBP. This week.....

-?Are you focused on being right all of the time?

- 6 ways to Persuade Others

-?Bootcamp starts?this week

Are You Focused on Being Right All of the Time?

Last weekend I went out for dinner with my family – and was on the receiving end of some rather strange behaviour from the waiter.?

Some behaviour that I think often happens in organisations and quite often in finance - so its worth a mention?

Out for dinner I ordered my meal, but what turned up was not what I ordered (or thought I’d ordered).?

So I kindly asked the waiter “Can you just clarify for me what you took down as my order”?

When he mentioned something different I said to him “Hmm ok that’s not what I remember ordering”.?

He then proceeded to tell me I was wrong, and that I ordered what was in front of me.?

I don’t know about you but I would have thought the person who is likely to know what they want to eat would be the person doing the eating ie me. But apparently not according to this waiter.?

He was right, I was wrong, and there would be no further discussion.?

This took me back over 10 years ago when I was provided with an executive coach and some advice he gave me. ?

One of his first questions he asked me was “Andrew would you rather be right or would you rather be effective”?

Of course my response to this was “both please”.?

He then explained to me that if I was going to make it as a senior executive I had to be more focused on being effective, than on being right.?

Its ok to be the smartest person in the room and be right. But if its getting in the way of actual progress and impacts your relationships with others who you need to work through and lead, then being right gets in the way.?

Always be asking what am I trying to achieve here, what is my objective, and avoid unravelling others in trying to get it.?

Which is how I approached the waiter. I was furious he just told me I was wrong.

But whether he was right or I was right didn’t really matter. What mattered was I had in front of me something I didn’t wish to eat, certainly wasn’t going to pay for and working through something that kept both of us happy was what the focus needed to be.?

For me all I wanted was what I originally thought I had ordered. So I calmly said to the waiter can I get you to send this back to the kitchen and can I reorder what I originally thought I did. ?

And I separately took up the issue of whether I would be charged both when the bill came.?Which, in case you were wondering, I was not charged.?

6 Ways to Persuade

One of the best books you could ever read on the Art of Persuasion is funnily enough called Influence: The?Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

I first picked this up about ten years ago and was immediately drawn to the psychology of this sort of stuff and how it works on most people.

Cialdini offers up six ways you are often influenced and can influence others. They are:

- Reciprocity, the act of giving to eventually get

- Availability/Scarcity; when things are scarce they become more valuable?

- Social Proof; if everyone's doing it, it must be right

- Commitment; you will often do what you previously committed to

- Authority; your boss telling you has more impact than a colleague

- Likeability; people do things for people they like more than those they don't.

There are simple techniques for each of these any finance individual can use to increase the chances of someone doing something for you. And we help you develop them in our workshops.

Take Availability/Scarcity as an example. To make this work you have to have abundance first, then if it becomes scarce its highly motivating.

So dont just give someone a deadline. Ask them to do what you need doing with no deadline. Let them consider it for a day or two, then go back with the deadline.

Just like magic your chances of them doing what you asked by the deadline will have remarkably improved.

The book is pretty thick with lots of small writing so if you are time poor, click on the link below which will take you to a video that helps get you through it in ten minutes!

FREE?3 Day FBP Bootcamp - starts?tomorrow

Have you booked your spot for our FBP Bootcamp yet - its kicking off tomorrow Tuesday 15th August

This Bootcamp is an open set of workshops so you can register any time

And is totally FREE.

It?starts again tomorrow so if you are free we would love to have you along.

And learn the finer points of Finance Business Partnering

Of course if you can't make this one, stay tuned to our newsletter.

We will be running this on a monthly basis at different times of the day. Hopefully at a time when you are not asleep.

What's included:

- 3 x 1 hour workshops facilitated by me

- Day 1: What FBP is (and what it is not)

- Day 2: Delivering Actionable Insights

- Day 3:?Influencing and Persuading

-?Cost - no dollars totally FREE - just your 1 hour per day

Sign up today at the link below

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Once the Robots arrive, the only thing left will be Business Partnering

And we’ll show you how with our posts, books, on demand videos and live workshops

If you are ready to be part of? theFBPteam ?then click my ?? and get access to my regular posts and this newsletter delivered weekly

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