“Working with Eric was a pleasure. We developed a good rapport and established a level of honesty and trust. I valued his counsel and recommendations. I find Eric to be very competent in a variety of disciplines. He is able to correctly diagnose organizational problems and suggest solutions that are on point. I found Eric to be a professional with the highest levels of honesty, integrity, and ethical behavior. I would not hesitate to engage his services again in the future.”
Kathy Lueckert,
former Corporate Services Director,
Department of Planning and Development,
City of Seattle
(Kathy is now Director of Planning and Finance for Advocacy and Communications at World Vision.)
“I've worked closely with Eric on developing and presenting the Leadership Eastside community leadership program. He has that rare blend of extensive real-world experience along with a very strong background in theory and research. He moves easily between big picture strategy and the tactical details. Eric brings a superb ability to plan, execute and follow-through, both as a behind-the-scenes planner and as an upfront instructor and facilitator.”
Annalee Luhman,
founding board member,
Leadership Eastside
Conflict and change: The blog
13 March 2009
Develop a fine-grained view
Are you really being smart about what you’re dealing with? Have you mapped out the challenges, pitfalls and resources that will help you be successful?
Most folks who try to influence haven’t taken this step.
It’s important to “get smart” about what the challenge is. Who supports you? Who might? Who is resisting? What can be done?
You need to drill down, unpack and unthread the situation. Remember that most interpretations, judgments and conclusions you and others might have about a situation are probably built on some pretty flimsy facts.
Drilling down means separating (1) the actual, observable facts from (2) the interpretations, judgments and conclusions.
It also means discovering where best to focus your energy, understanding the environment you’re working within, the pressures on the person (or people) you’re trying to influence, and becoming aware of the array of choices and options you have for realizing your vision.
This is obviously not something you do in one sitting. It takes time to develop this fine-grained view. Furthermore, you can’t do it all by toiling at your desk, working it out on paper.
You’ll need to do some research. Go out and test some of your assumptions; look for ways to be surprised.
It will sharpen your thinking and increase your chances of success.
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