Goal Posts

In the spirit of full disclosure, I’m not a sports fan.  My attempts over the years to “talk sports” have always ended in failure.  My most embarrassing moment came when I called the San Francisco football team the Giants.  I knew that my new hometown had a team called the Giants, and my East Coat upbringing connected that name with football.  Lame, but true.

But this entry is about the one thing I do know about sports – there are often goal posts.  And managers would be well served to keep this image in mind when communicating.

Why is it helpful?

If you think about a conversation you’re about to have, especially a difficult one, it’s important to know what you want and what you do not want.  These are your goal posts.  They help you guide your conversation to its target result.

Here’s an example one of my Associates shared with me.  

A Director went into his VP to tell her that the other directors at his level were getting paid more than he was.  The VP asked, “What do you want?” The Director replied, “Well, I just wanted you to be aware of this.”  The VP responded, “Okay, I am.”

You can imagine that the Director wanted a raise, confirmation of his worth, and/or an explanation of the disparity.  And what he didn’t want was to been seen as a stating the obvious or as a complainer.  But clearly his approach only got him this result.

If he’d taken the time to think about his “goal posts” before the conversation, it might have sounded like this.

“People talk in this organization.  I’ve heard that my peers are getting paid more than I am.  If this is true, I’d like to understand why.  Money matters to me, I won’t lie, but figuring out what I need to do to improve matters just as much.  Can we talk about this?”

Focusing on what you want and don’t want gets out valuable information, doesn’t waste time, and doesn’t squander good will.  Keeping your goal posts in sight can help you – like all great athletes – be a winner.