Only when we are in control of our own emotions are we able to act out of thought, out of consciousness, and help create a situation in which everyone involved can come away as winners. When dealing with any potential adversary, you will face the same choice again and again: whether to respond rationally to what is happening or react emotionally. Respond rather than react.
When an uncomfortable situation occurs, what is your default setting? Do you get uptight, panicky, angry, nervous, or hyper? Do you yell or become aggressive? Act forceful? Do you do this unconsciously and realize only later you’ve overreacted—if you even realize it at all? Or do you remain calm? Do you stay in control and rationally assess the situation? Do you automatically slow down to make sure you’re considering everything carefully? Your default setting to pressure situations is directly proportional to your ability to problem-solve, to live in the solution, and to lead—whether a team, business, charity, family, et cetera.
Don’t hold a grudge. It allows a person to live in your head rent-free.
A rabbi teaching a lesson on thought processes asked who would be offended if approached by someone who called them a “bafoostick.” Some members of the class raised their hands and some did not. Finally, one asked the rabbi if he would be offended if that happened to him. “I don’t know,” replied the rabbi. “But the first thing I’d do is ask, ‘What is a bafoostick?’” Yes, misunderstandings can occur because of specific words and how different people define them.
Control the ego; master the ego. Have your ego and the feelings that come with it working for you, and you can achieve beyond your wildest dreams. The trouble appears when that part of the ego with unhealthy desires controls us.
“Everyone wears an invisible sign around their neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’” So, to solve this difficult challenge with the immigration agent, my goal had to be to reinstate her feeling of importance.
Invest 99.9 percent of the conversation in asking them questions about themselves—their business, their family, their interests. When you make them feel good about themselves (and there is rarely a more effective way than by being genuinely interested in them), they are more likely to want to get to know you; they will like you and begin to trust you.
No matter how solution-resistant the other person is, your goal is to always live in the solution. Indeed, acknowledge the problem. Pretending it’s not there won’t help. So acknowledge the problem but focus on the solution. As you do this more and more, it will become natural to you and half the fun of the persuasion process.
You are successful. If you are confident, you also must be successful. After all, unsuccessful people don’t have that type of confidence in themselves.
Give them a backdoor
She wanted to be acknowledged. She was saying, “Acknowledge me! Understand my feelings! That’s all I want from you!”
We live in an inconsistent world, filled with many well-meaning but inconsistent people. Thus, in business—in life—consistency removes uncertainty and leads to trust. Trust, in turn, leads to influence. The person who manages to show up authentically day after day, week after week, month after month, and even year after year builds a bank account of trust that will pay dividends for as long as they keep making those deposits.
Yes, mistakes are a key to growth, if you are first able to admit them and accept responsibility for them. Form the habit of asking yourself: How did I handle that difficult interpersonal situation? Or the objections during your one-on-one sales presentation? Or the challenging questions from the committee member during your group presentation? Were you able to make the person feel comfortable by being tactful, empathetic, and kind, while still effectively and persuasively communicating your point? Or did you kind of fumble that one? (As we all do, from time to time.) Study it. Dissect it. The trick is to do so with as much honesty and as little emotion as possible, focusing on not letting your ego take over. Yes, it can be difficult—make that very difficult. And it’s well worth it.
Develop a reputation as a person who, rather than talking a good game, actually plays a good game. One who, instead of talking about being honest, is honest. Instead of talking about thinking of others, thinks of others. Say little and do much, and others will feel confident in following your influence.