#1148 Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News

If you've ever seen The Wiz you'll recognize that song title.  I remember hearing it the first time and thinking. "That's me!" 

Early on in my career, I had no tolerance for bad news.  I was a positive, upbeat guy, and I didn't appreciate the Debbie Downers always looking to rain on my parade.

If I did not shoot the messenger, I would certainly ignore him. Like most extreme views, that attitude cost me dearly—my immaturity as a manager manifested in surprise personnel, revenue, and trust losses. Not only didn't encourage people to bring me their issues, but I eschewed them. Consequently, my teams treated me like the wicked witch from The Wiz and kept their issues from me, allowing them to fester.

Part of it was the way some folks deliver bad news. I'd think, "The sky is not falling, Chicken Little," completely disrespecting the view of the issue from their perspective.  They'd see a slight crack and come to me with news of an imminent building collapse. But unless you see and repair that slight crack in the foundation, you will soon be surprised by a basement full of water.

It took me two years of NLP and a lot of rewiring to learn to walk the floor and ask folks what obstacles they were facing. It also took a lot of practice to listen to some people's "chicken little" styles without dismissing the nugget of truth buried within their catastrophizing.

It's super easy to listen to people who share your views, but real learning usually comes from creating space to store and examine things I may not want to hear.

Own Your Sales Gene…