Lately - it seems that the business world is (too) full of naysayers. You know - those persistently closed-minded folks who consistently jump right to "NO!" (when they shouldn't) because they personally don't want to do something new or different - let alone take the time to understand what that something is all about - even though that something (or the result of it) might be able to help them. As Upton Sinclair once quipped: it's hard to teach a person something new, when their job depends on not knowing it.
More pathetic - is when naysayers don't want to look at or do something that may benefit their company (and their own job): that's just selfish, ignorant and down-right wrong. And to those who refuse to take an hour or so to genuinely listen and learn about things that might make their company/organization/people better - I say, SHAME ON YOU.
After all, part of your job and fiduciary responsibility (or at least it should be) - especially if you are a leader in your company, organization or business unit - is to think in and out of the proverbial box. Moreover, to do what's in the best interest (both short-term and long-term) of the company that pays the checks.
More pathetic - is when naysayers don't want to look at or do something that may benefit their company (and their own job): that's just selfish, ignorant and down-right wrong. And to those who refuse to take an hour or so to genuinely listen and learn about things that might make their company/organization/people better - I say, SHAME ON YOU.
After all, part of your job and fiduciary responsibility (or at least it should be) - especially if you are a leader in your company, organization or business unit - is to think in and out of the proverbial box. Moreover, to do what's in the best interest (both short-term and long-term) of the company that pays the checks.
No doubt - selfish naysayers and their rude posse of pessimistic negative-nellies, not-invented-here syndromers, that-will-never-work cronies, over-my-dead body doorknobs, stick-in-the-mud morons, I'll believe-it-when-I-see-it jerks, guilty-before-proven-innocent nincompoops ... have been around for ages.
And to some (small) degree, they serve a purpose - otherwise the world would be (too) full of overly positive, can-do-wrong, sun-is-always-shinning, mistake-ridden unrealistic optimists. (For my money - I'm a big fan of being somewhere in the middle; you know, the "positive pragmatist" camp: but that's just me. That's why I also think the correct answer to the cliche about the cup being half full or half empty is: both).
And to some (small) degree, they serve a purpose - otherwise the world would be (too) full of overly positive, can-do-wrong, sun-is-always-shinning, mistake-ridden unrealistic optimists. (For my money - I'm a big fan of being somewhere in the middle; you know, the "positive pragmatist" camp: but that's just me. That's why I also think the correct answer to the cliche about the cup being half full or half empty is: both).
In any event - as far as having to deal with the hard-headed naysayers go - may I suggest a provocative two questions and one statement program to help you challenge their stubborn selfishness ... and maybe, just maybe, get them to do the right thing with regard to considering ... let alone moving forward with ... something that they presumptively assumed and without proper thought, time and reflection ... was something that did not/would not do.
And those two questions and one statement are, drum roll please, dddrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr:
Who Says?
Says Who?
So Says You.
Taken together - these should/might help you provoke, challenge and just maybe - change the thinking of a naysayer. Maybe. Granted, this is not scientifically proven and more often than not, might get you into trouble, especially if that irrational naysayer also happens to be a delusional, pathetic, ranting raving bully (sadly, for some reason, the world is still too full of bosses and "leaders" who fit that description).
Be that as it may, if you feel strongly enough about why you need to get a naysayer to change their mind and do something new or different ... then you have to do what you have to do ... especially if their shortsightedness is and/or can be - bad for the company. And these 3 tactics just might help. That, and a smack upside the head (just kidding, violence is frowned upon, mostly.)
Stubborn Naysayers Are Bad.
Provocatively Challenging Them is Good.
(PS: If you couldn't tell - naysayers give me a real rash. That said, it felt good to get that stuff off my chest; kinda therapeutic. Thanks for letting me vent: lightens my consumption of scotch and Pepto ;)
(PS: If you couldn't tell - naysayers give me a real rash. That said, it felt good to get that stuff off my chest; kinda therapeutic. Thanks for letting me vent: lightens my consumption of scotch and Pepto ;)
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