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20

HAVE A POINT OF VIEW

Cultivate an Informed Perspective

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.

—ALBERT EINSTEIN

“What do you see that’s out of my field of vision that I need to know to make wise choices?” inquired Jayme Garfinkel, chairman of the board of Brazil’s insurance giant, Porto Seguro S.A., after answering an hour’s worth of questions from visiting executives. It’s a great question to ask and prepare for. Developing and continually refreshing an informed perspective makes you an organizational asset no matter where you sit in the hierarchy. When all you do is repeat what’s already known, you run the risk of becoming an expendable corporate commodity—and a dull companion. Dare to differentiate yourself:

•   Expand your knowledge about topics that matter to your organization.

•   Broaden your company’s awareness about topics that should matter to them but aren’t on their radar.

•   Express an informed view about material that you are responsible for.

Fields Wicker-Miurin, board member of BNP Paribas. thinks of a point of view as a view from a point. If you can articulate your recommendations, people know where you stand, and if they disagree, a healthy debate can ensue. Being open to new ideas or the insights that others provide does not negate the importance of having your own opinion. When working with clients who are eager to advance, I help them shift from being order takers to becoming opinion makers, professionals who can facilitate quality conversation by priming discussions. In earlier chapters we discussed the importance of making the emotional connection. Here’s your chance to make the cognitive connection. Rather than showing up at the boss’s office and asking, “What do you think? What should I do?” I encourage my clients to arrive with a few novel ways of framing the situation along with some potential solutions. A fear of expressing one’s opinion can be experienced as you being too lazy (or unable) to do the work!

It’s not uncommon for groups of people, business sector authorities, or experts in a shared field to develop a fixed way of thinking, often with language that reinforces mindsets rather than expanding them. Given all the sophisticated technology for collecting information, presenting only the obvious data can undermine your prestige. And don’t just rely on Google for your answers. Try going to conferences outside your immediate field of expertise. Read journals from other disciplines. Talk to people outside of your usual circles. Then bring these pearls of wisdom back to the office.

THIS IS FOR YOU IF

•   You are ready to be seen as more senior.

•   You want to be a generous developer of people.

•   Everyone’s using the same sources of information—it’s time to shake things up.

•   The solutions offered by your team are predicable.

TAKE ACTION

Images   Stay curious. Use travel time to read blogs and listen to podcasts outside your field. Download or carry a book; don’t be stuck reading in-flight magazines over and over.

Images   Visualize a time you can interject your new knowledge. Practice beforehand how to make your message simple and relevant to your audience. Be careful not to be boastful about what you know, and others don’t.

Images   Make it a point to read material from sources you don’t agree with. Add individuals with opposing views to your social media feed.

Images   Subscribe to news aggregators that provide a quick daily or weekly dose of information. Be sure to access reporting outside of your favorite outlets.

Images   Check out books like Factfulness by Hans Rosling, which explodes commonly held ideas about the state of the world. Offer up surprisingly counterintuitive information (to help your team be better informed, not to make anyone feel ashamed about their assumptions).

Images   Ask people you respect how they form opinions. What sources do they go to?

Images   Ask, “What don’t I know to ask?” Leave enough time to hear the answer. Schedule additional time if needed to fully appreciate what was outside of your field of vision.

Images   Talk directly to the people impacted by strategies and products you may be promoting and bring those insights back to your team.

Images   Participate in defining success. What the (internal or external) client initially asks for is not necessarily what will help them achieve their goal. Arrive with an informed position and the confidence to suggest an alternative approach. Your client may not alter their request, but at least you have added value by contributing to a constructive debate.

Images   Come to work prepared to teach people something new as a way of helping them feel smarter and more informed. Your hobbies or interests outside of work may provide interesting perspectives into problems you’re tackling at the office.

KEEP IN MIND

•   Timing is important. You don’t want to interject new information as a meeting is ending. Don’t chase your manager down the hall with a catalog for an exciting new conference as they are leaving for the day.

•   Just because you developed an opinion doesn’t mean you are right. Test your perspective, and remain open to learning.

CASE STUDIES

Help Define Success

Joan heads marketing for an international consultancy company. She coaches her team not to respond to requests from clients but rather to show up with an informed perspective on what will help them achieve their goals. Her protegee Ava supports the group advising alternative energy companies. The sector leader is quick to suggest the conferences where he should appear, the media coverage he thinks will have impact, and the interviews he wants to conduct with famous names in this space. Historically, Ava would take copious notes during the meeting and return a week later with a plan. “Engage your brain first,” insisted Joan. “Media splashes may boost egos, but they don’t translate into money for our firm.” She encouraged Ava to track top influencers in the field, identify what topics were not being discussed, see what industry newsletters had the broadest readership, and uncover new alternative energy products that were slated for release in the coming year.

Ava crafted a potential plan in advance of her client meeting. The discussion and the end result were qualitatively different. Not all of Ava’s ideas appealed to the client, but she was able to provoke a better conversation, improve her own reputation, and contribute meaningfully to the company’s bottom line.

Garner Support by Being Curious

When working with executives at the cusp of being promoted, I encourage them to become thought leaders. Two different investment banks asked me to build a leadership program for their female executives. We focused on increasing each candidate’s gravitas, visibility, and value by actively honing their contributions on topics of great organizational relevance. Each woman sharpened her specific recommendations based on uniquely acquired expertise. The executives made time to speak to cross-divisional leaders to learn how they think, what they read, and what fueled their decision-making. Although they feared it would be seen as an intrusion, the women’s curiosity flattered their conversational partners. Discussions about emerging trends, current market conditions, and interpretations of key historical moments allowed the women to demonstrate their intellectual vigor. When the women in our program came up for promotion, more of senior management had been exposed to how they process information, in a relaxed and very relational (vs. deal-driven) way. This helped them get the necessary votes to obtain their desired promotions.

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