“Those who don’t jump will never fly.”— Leena Ahmad Almashat
The manager said, “I am sorry. I can’t support you going to that training at this time.”
Respond to this situation by showing your conviction.
This post continues the focus on ensuring your organization is making investments that return great value. In my first post, Why to Invest $ in Training, Coaching, & Making Leaders Better?, I proposed five key steps. This post is an elaboration on step #5, have conviction.
In my experience, if the first four steps I outlined are done well, the outcome is most likely a yes. If you understood the needs of the executive, and if you focused on value based on their needs, and if you researched to ensure that others had greatly benefited, and if you made a plan that showed your commitment, then it is likely they will say yes.
You still must be prepared for a “no.” Here are four possible responses that demonstrate your conviction.
- Ask, “What is the main barrier? If the main barrier is budget, you may find budget items in your personal control that can be sacrificed. You may have the ability to attract new clients to ease the budget concern. Having these discussions keeps the possibility open.
- Ask, “What can I do to make this possible now?” This shows that you are ready to do more to make this investment a reality.
- Make an offer. If you really believe that you want this to happen, be prepared to make an offer. The offer could be unpaid overtime. The offer could be taking on an additional special project.
- Pay for what you want yourself. This sounds extreme to some people, and I suppose it is. However, doing this shows you are convinced that this investment will benefit you and the organization.
I have had to use option 4 a couple of times. Each time, management was quite startled but was quickly convinced of my conviction. I went to the training I believed in. I received the world-class coaching I wanted. Each of these experiences was greatly beneficial to my organization and me.
The question is, how convinced are you of the value? Show your conviction. Today’s quote is correct. If you don’t jump, it’s hard to fly!
Yours in the calm pursuit of excellence,
Alan Willett
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