Speaking Out of Order
On advice-giving:
People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.
– source unknown
One of my favorite Far Side cartoons shows a man in his bedroom getting dressed for the day. A sign by his mirror reminds him, “First Pants, Then Shoes”.
As this cartoon and the above quote remind, there’s often a sequence to things. Knowing how to do the last step and knowing that the last step needs to be done are not enough if other things have to happen first.
For executives with attention deficit disorder, our ability to take mental leaps is both blessing and curse. On the one hand, we can sometimes see more quickly than others what can or ought be done. On the other hand, we sometimes miss the steps that ought be managed in between.*
Have you ever announced a plan publicly before thinking through all the details? Started writing a proposal before writing an outline? Asked a prospect for business before establishing some level of trust (both their trust of you and your trust of them)?
One last example of someone getting ahead of himself: Not long ago I was helping a client with an executive search. On one interview day, I escorted a job candidate to a meeting with two of his prospective future colleagues — one man and one woman. The candidate entered the room briskly, swept by the woman (within inches) and enthusiastically introduced himself to and shook hands with the man. “Typical”, the woman muttered to herself and me. Take a wild guess whether this guy got hired.
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*Related blog: David Maister on Being Helpful
