Find the easiest path to yes...

This was an off the cuff example of adopting a solution focused approach that involved current Fortuna Düsseldorf manager Uwe R?sler. 

To salvage a seemingly lost opportunity, when R?sler called to cancel a meeting, I suggested that we could still make this work without taking up any extra time out of the manager's schedule. I became the taxi and switched our meeting location from the training ground to my car, and, over the 40 minute drive, I was able to acquire all the information that I required, in addition to pitching a selection of my own players. 

The training ground was largely irrelevant in this case, my agenda was to meet the manager and achieve my goals through face to face dialogue. His goal was to get to the station in time for his train. We were both flexible, and as it happened he particularly liked the efficiency of the approach and our relationship became more respectful as a result. 

Research suggests that effective persuasion is not about altering an individual’s way of thinking, rather it is about listening, compromising and incorporating their perspectives into a shared solution (Conger, 1998). Offering to drive R?sler to the station is a good example of this; it benefitted both of us.

Finding ways to circumnavigate small or large obstacles that threaten to prevent you from achieving an objective is a useful tool to have in your armoury. Instead of accepting these barriers and accepting a lost cause, be creative and make it as easy as possible for individuals to say yes.

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