An IT manager, Sally, requests a meeting.  Sally’s team needs training.  During the meeting, Sally asks you to guarantee that her team will achieve the learning objectives for the class.  What do you say?

In this situation, do you:

Agree

Disagree 

Gather more information

All three responses can answer the question.  “Gathering more information” is the only response that solves the problem.   A solution should meet certain criteria.  These criteria might include:

Being tailored to the situation 

Provide implementable answers 

Be reasonable based on the circumstances

Satisfy characteristics of the person asking the question

Reflect the person’s preferences and priorities for answers

Think about any other characteristics that you might look for in an actual solution.  Pleae feel free to suggest them. 

With that introductory thought about the difference between answers and solutions, let’s think about why gathering additional information is the solution and the other options are not.  Also, if you see see other options or believe that the other choices are solutions, please feel free to speak up.

How is the guarantee going to lead to better results for Sally?

The guarantee that Sally has little value in terms of the training, the value of the training, or the results of the training.

A good training firm is not going to do anything differently as a result of making this guarantee. 

Does it make sense for Sally to request the guarantee?

Why is Sally asking for the guarantee? 

When the request does not further the desired result, it is always a good idea to ask questions.

Before proceeding further, it is a good idea to understand Sally’s perspective.  Presumably, Sally perceives the guarantee has value. 

Rather than guessing about Sally’s perspective, it is far better to just ask.  The answer is likely to shed insight that enables a firm to decide how to proceed.

What are the risks of simply agreeing? 

If someone agrees to a request, both parties can assume that they have the same perspective.  This creates a false sense of security. 

Suppose that a supplier just agrees with the issue, without asking questions.  If a student does not achieve the learning objectives, what is going to happen? 

In many cases, Sally and the supplier are likely to be unhappy.  When they realize they have different expectations, distrust sets in and the relationship may end.

How can the frustration be minimized?

I equate this with team building.

By building the shared understanding upfront, Sally and the supplier are likely to realize better results and to avoid a lot of frustration. 

What results can be realized? 

This is one way to reduce the “storming” aspect of team building when a person is building teams between firms.

Where it can be anticipated, it makes a lot of sense for firms to address the “storming” aspect of team building in the “forming” stage.  That way, there is less frustration and the parties are able to work together more effectively.

Filed by Coleen Davis at 5:55 pm under Achieving Goals, Negotiations, Planning Tips, Solving Problems, Sourcing, Training