I was sitting in a meeting with an account team, fly-on-the-wall style, and my emotions ranged from bemused to concerned as I heard these highly competent, self-motivated rock-stars spend umpteen minutes talking about HOW to present some much-needed but hard-to-swallow advice to their (curmudgeonly) client."If we say THIS, then they will probably say ..."
"Maybe if we present it THIS way, they will be more open to it..."
Ugh! I finally pounced from my chair.
"You are OVER-THINKING this," I pontificated. "This is your job:
- "Provide the best counsel you can, based on your experience, with very little nuance;
- "Be prepared to present pros & cons of the situation or suggested approach, along with your defensible recommendations; and,
- "Work your butt off on the tactics."