This week I’ve got a rant. I have met with three different clients this week who are stuck in situations where the person they work for believes there is one right way. And that way is theirs.

There is almost never only one way. Not when driving, or cooking, or leading people. There are lots of ways and which is best is subject to a bunch of factors – context, timing, needs and values of the people involved, even sometimes the weather.

It drives me nuts when people, especially leaders, get more committed to how something gets done than the results produced. Here are a few strategies for dealing with it.

Tip 1. Focus on results. As much as possible focus on the results. Do your best to get agreements on how the results will be measured. It’s not about how the results are reached (as long as it’s legal), but the results itself.

Tip 2. Make it a habit to find three or more right answers. Too often we start problem solving and stop as soon as we find an answer. Sometimes that first answer is the best one but often it is the second or third.

Tip 3. The world is rarely zero or 100. I really don’t have a third tip on this one, just know for yourself that no matter what others say, there is rarely only one way. It’s about what works not which way or whose way.  

Best,

Julie