Who doesn't want to be right?

"Most people want to be understood even more than they want to be agreed with."

-James McPartland

Who doesn't want to be right? It's a boost to our ego when people agree that our way is the better way.

Yet as a coach who's worked with hundreds of leaders, I'd say most people want to be understood even more than they want to be agreed with.

But all day, every day -- in life and business, we make assumptions that we understand each other and it derails us from meaningful connections.

Speakers fail to land their points in conversations, and listeners don't receive the intended message. All of it leads to communication breakdown.

And there's a cost to this in business. I cringe to think of the amount of money our company lost in building a $200 million business because I failed to understand where my team was at and how to lead them in a way that inspired their best performance. There was a pattern of implied, unclear, and broken agreements

So when you realize you're dealing with a broken or unclear agreement, here's a 5-step RESET process that I coach others as they work to resolve the situation:

Let each letter in “reset” serve as a reminder…

R- Recount the agreements that were made or that should have been. Ask yourself: Where have agreements been broken, or where might there have been an unspoken agreement that now needs clarity

E- Evaluate the current impact. Who or what is being affected?

S- Surmise the future impact if the issue remains unresolved: What is most likely to happen?

E- Envision the ideal resolution of the issue: What is the best possible outcome? What AGREEMENTS need to be made to bring about that outcome?

T- Take action. Coordinate with all parties involved to bring about the alignment needed to now move the needle forward on the matter.

Try that and follow me for more on this No Straight Lines series.

Mac 😎