Page One Bookstore, Saturday, October 3

The first Saturday of the month!

That's when Page One Bookstore hosts their local author book fair in the Brew Moon Cafe from 3:00 to 5:00 PM.

Page One is at the corner of Montgomery and Juan Tabo in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I'll see you there!

Doing the Right Thingand Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Tell Them What You Want and Why

This worked so well that I have used it ever since when I want something from someone. I don’t try to make them do it. That does not work. Even with a different personality or more power, I do not think I can make anyone do anything. Even if I could, I know that it would not be the best way to accomplish my goals. When you want someone to do something, tell them what you want and why. This even works when what you want is required.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Want Them to Succeed

We wanted our customers to succeed. The success of our business depended on their success. We provided products and services they used on an ongoing basis. The nature of our business involved long-term relationships with them. If we had gotten them to buy something they couldn’t afford or that didn’t do the job, it would have had a negative impact on their business. They would have stopped working with us. What we tried to do, instead, was provide things that made their work easier, faster, or better in some way and contributed to their success. They were a good reference and told everyone they knew how great we were. They bought more computer equipment and software when they were ready.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Treat Them Like Intelligent People Who Can Make Their Own Decisions

So, we would make recommendations, tell them what we thought the benefits would be of following our recommendations, tell them what the consequences could be of not following our recommendations and how likely we thought they were, and leave it up to them. Actually, we treated them like intelligent people who could make their own judgments based on the facts. We did not pressure them. Only the truth of the situation pressured them. We did not tell them what to do. We just told them what they needed to know so they could succeed.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

You Can't Make Customers Do Anything

Eventually, I gave up on being a manager and became a computer support person. There were things I would have liked to make my customers do. Like not turn off the computer when the program is still running. Like come to training so they could learn how to use the software correctly. Like buy a new server before the antique they had been using for the last seven years finally crashed for good. But, everybody in computer support knows you can’t make the customer do those things. We would tell each other stories about the occasional imprudence of our customers. And we always gave each other the same response -- a sympathetic nod, a shrug, and “All you can do is tell ‘em.”

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

I Couldn't Even Make Timid People Do What I Wanted

Even then, I was convinced that my boss should just give me the power to fire people at will. That would get compliance. More fear was what was needed. But my boss didn’t understand. His response was, “Uh, I don’t think that would be a good idea.” And some of the people who worked for me did seem to be intimidated already. One woman always brought a backup with her when she came to talk to me. But she still didn’t do what I told her to do. In fact, I got the impression that her role was the heroine – fighting a cruel tyrant (that would be me) to get justice for the downtrodden (that would be her). I was just trying to get the job done. But I couldn’t even make timid people do what I wanted!

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

If They Disagree, They Just Don't Do It

Over the years, though, I found out how people handle these kinds of delusions. They disagree with the way you have told them to do their job. So, they just don’t do it. (I never did learn to expect that.) You insist. So, they do it exactly like you said to do it. (This is the worst thing anybody can ever do to you.) They don’t adapt the instructions to the situation. They don’t do those steps that “everybody knows” you have to do but that you neglected to write down. They don’t bother to tell you the obvious, minor flaw in your plan that is going to make it not work. They don’t know what you mean, “sabotage” what?

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

I Thought It Was My Job to Make People Do Things

When I became a manager myself, I knew that it was my job to make people do things. I would look the situation over, decide what needed to be done, and tell people what to do. They didn’t need a reason. I was the boss. They had to do what I said.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

All You Can Do is Tell Them, You Can't Make Anyone Do Anything

I used to think that managers could make the people who worked for them do things. It is the main management task, I thought. I was disgusted with managers who couldn’t make their staff get to work on time, enter data in the computer correctly, do the filing, or stop fighting amongst themselves. That manager is lazy, incompetent, or is trying to be “friends” with everybody instead of doing their job, I thought.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Hastings Wyoming, Friday, September 18

Book Signing
Friday, September 18, 2009
5:30 PM to 9:30 PM

Hastings
4315 Wyoming NE
(Wyoming and Montgomery)
Albuquerque, NM 87111
(505) 299-7750

Local Authors!

Marianne Powers
Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time

Lela Belle Wolfert
Wishes in the Wind
Deception and Desire

David Corwell
Cloaked in Shadow
Dark Tales of Elves




Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Tell The Truth, Let Them Decide

People will almost always help you achieve a goal that is good for you, good for them, and good for the group. People will sometimes help the group even if is detrimental to them personally. People will sometimes help you even if your goal is personal and what you want will benefit no one but you. Whatever the situation, you need to tell the truth about what you want and what your goals are and let people make their own decisions about whether they will help you or not.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

They Don't Understand or They Don't Believe You?

Sometimes, I remember thinking that someone wouldn’t understand, but what I was really worried about was that they wouldn’t believe me. This usually involved not so much what I wanted as why I wanted it. Whenever I feel that way, I know I need to make sure I understand my motives myself (both the public ones and the real ones). Then, I need to tell the truth about my motives and have no hidden agenda.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Tell Them Any Way You Can

Of course, it is not always the other person’s lack of experience or training that makes it hard for them to understand you. Sometimes, it’s the way you are explaining it. It is not always necessary or even desirable for people to understand things in the same way or to the same degree that you do, especially if it is not their area of expertise. Television writers are always trying to figure out ways to explain Einstein’s Theory of Relativity to me. And sometimes I even think I get it. But I don’t think I understand it the way Einstein did. Still, if you can’t figure out how to explain it in a way you think they will understand, tell them any way you can.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Don't Make Them Figure Out Your Motives

The other reason you should tell them even when you know they won’t understand is that, if you don’t tell people what you want and why you want it, they will come to their own conclusions. If they really don’t have sufficient experience or training (or good mind-reading ability), they will probably not figure out what you are actually thinking. If you have somehow given them the impression that you think they are too stupid to understand, they will probably not be in a charitable frame of mind when they are figuring out your motivation. But, if you have told them what you wanted and why, even if they didn’t understand, they know you did have a reason and that you didn’t mind stating that reason in public. They know they can get you to explain it again whenever they want. They know they can send people who need or want to know to you for the explanation.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Sometimes They Will Understand Later

Sometimes, you should explain things to people, even if they won’t understand now, because they will understand later. Sometimes, it won’t be for years! Sometimes, it just takes sleeping on it, or maybe a few days, weeks, or months, before something happens that brings it into focus. Sometimes, you can explain what you want and what the goal is at the beginning of a project, and the person you are talking to will not really understand it until they have started working on it or have gotten half way through it.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Especially If They Don't Have Your Experience or Training

It may be that after you have done all that thinking, you feel that your reasoning comes from a certain level of experience or training that your audience does not have. You might think that it’s no use telling them, because they won’t understand. In this case, it is even more important that you tell them what you want and what your goals are, because it is even more unlikely that they will just happen to figure it out on their own.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Put It Into Words

It may seem like people should already know what you want. But, take the time to put it into words anyway. Make what you say specific to each person you are talking to. Let them know what you want from them personally. Explain what goal or goals this will help to achieve. You will probably notice that even you did not know exactly what you wanted before you did all that, so they really couldn’t have known.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com

Tell Them Even If You Know They Won't Understand

You have to tell people what you want and what your goals are if you want their help. It’s true that they might not help you even if you tell them. But if you don’t tell them, it’s going to take a lot of luck for them to somehow stumble upon it, even if they are willing.

Doing the Right Thing
and Achieving All Your Goals at the Same Time
www.mariannepowers.com