Leaderly Quote: Getting to yes
By Jo Miller
A large part of a leader’s job is getting people to say “yes.”
In a leadership webinar for the Network of Executive Women, I asked Karen Stuckey, a Senior Vice President of General Merchandise with Walmart, what she has learned about getting to yes. Here are some insights she’s gained during her 36-year career in the retailing and manufacturing industries.
Getting to yes
• Active listening skills are the key to getting to “yes.”
• Pay close attention to your audience. If you find yourself speaking at (versus talking to) your audience, you’re going to be unsuccessful.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the other party’s priorities and motivations.
• Start with a common, aligned objective, and work back, with modifications, to get to “yes.”
• Get to the point quickly. It must be simple and clear, while persuasive.
• Simply repeating why you’re right will never get you to “yes.”
Jo Miller
A leading authority on women’s leadership, Jo Miller is a sought-after, dynamic, and engaging speaker, delivering more than 70 speaking presentations annually to audiences of up to 1,200 women. Her expertise lies in helping women lead, climb, and thrive in their corporate careers. Jo has traveled widely in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East to deliver keynotes and teach workshops for women’s leadership conferences, women’s professional associations, and Fortune 1000 corporate women’s initiatives. Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.net and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.
By Jo Miller
A large part of a leader’s job is getting people to say “yes.”
In a leadership webinar for the Network of Executive Women, I asked Karen Stuckey, a Senior Vice President of General Merchandise with Walmart, what she has learned about getting to yes. Here are some insights she’s gained during her 36-year career in the retailing and manufacturing industries.
Getting to yes
• Active listening skills are the key to getting to “yes.”
• Pay close attention to your audience. If you find yourself speaking at (versus talking to) your audience, you’re going to be unsuccessful.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the other party’s priorities and motivations.
• Start with a common, aligned objective, and work back, with modifications, to get to “yes.”
• Get to the point quickly. It must be simple and clear, while persuasive.
• Simply repeating why you’re right will never get you to “yes.”
Jo Miller
A leading authority on women’s leadership, Jo Miller is a sought-after, dynamic, and engaging speaker, delivering more than 70 speaking presentations annually to audiences of up to 1,200 women. Her expertise lies in helping women lead, climb, and thrive in their corporate careers. Jo has traveled widely in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East to deliver keynotes and teach workshops for women’s leadership conferences, women’s professional associations, and Fortune 1000 corporate women’s initiatives. Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.net and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.
