How To Leverage Your Time With Metaphors
I had a manager who ruled by metaphors. And it was extremely effective way of getting me to do things.. First of all, his metaphors often made me laugh. “I can feel for you but I can’t reach you,” was his way of telling me to leave him alone and figure out the solution myself.
Metaphors appeal to our emotions. But because they also leak our perceptions of the way the world works, they provide openings to persuade. If you hear a colleague say “business is war,” for example, you have not only discovered something about the way he or she may perceive the world of business, but also what behaviors are acceptable in that world.
Suppose I notice that ‘business is war’ describes the world as you see it. If I want to influence you to do something consistent with this metaphor, I would just use words you already identify with, such as ‘compete’ or ‘attrition’.
But that’s the easy part. What if I want to delegate some of my CRM duties to you. I can’t just say, “Business is about building relationships with our customers”, because you will say “No it’s not. It’s war.” Then we will go back and forth like my 3 and 5 year-old sons—“No it’s not.” “Yes it is.” “No it’s not”. But in a much more refined fashion, of course.
But if I first use your metaphor, I can guide you where I want you to go, because I have unconsciously tapped into what you already believe. I could say something like “We spend more time fighting with our suppliers than we do building relationships with our customers.”
Now, I have gotten your attention. And freed up some of my time.
The key is to simply listen.
What metaphors describe your boss’s view of the world? Your colleagues’? Your direct reports?
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