Are You Too Aggressive With Your Advice? (Spreaker)
Why, Without Urgency, Your Advice Falls on Deaf Ears
Think about this. If you fall over board out at sea, drowning, wouldn't you want me to be aggressive about getting you help.
Rather than screaming, “Help! Help!”, you'd want action. Reach, Throw, Row, and Go. Not passive suggestions.
That's exactly how I treat every consulting engagement. If I'm not able to help you, I ought to be helping someone else.
Why waste time getting from where you are to where you want to be? The aggressive path is only offensive to those standing still.
When you are going somewhere, you need movement. And if your advice matters, shouldn't you be a little forceful about it.
I'm not being paid to dilly dally around making suggestions. My role is to investigate, diagnose, create a plan, and once stakeholders buy in, implement.
The one thing most businesses cannot do on their own. The thing that holds back most entrepreneurs and executives. If you want results, be action-oriented.
Why I'm A Catalyst Not A Passive Knob In Business
When you hire a subject-matter expert, they need to be self-starting, focused, and able to get the work done.
That's exactly what I bring to the table. Plus enthusiasm, high energy, and a focus on the defined objectives. That scares some people.
Imagine someone running a project for years. Not making any progress, no results to show for their effort. Then, a consultant shows up.
After a short diagnostic period, the consultant presents a plan. Everyone, including executives, is delighted that finally something is going to happen.
Typical employees do everything possible to sabotage the consultant. If not, it only shows how difficult the original problem was to solve.
What is seen as aggression is enthusiasm, focus, and a “let's go” attitude. Those passive knobs, worn down by past failures, don't like that.
They don't understand that I'm going to do everything in my power to make them look good. At least they had enough sense to hire a subject-matter expert.
When I'm done, they will be able to do more of what they enjoy. They can get back to business as usual. The major fires will be put out.
You cannot do that just sitting there. You won't please everyone. Yet important work will get done when you are even slightly aggressive.
You Can Be Aggressive Without Being A Jerk
To be aggressive is assertive, bold, and energetic. You may be inclined to behave in a hostile fashion, yet that's business.
It takes a lot of energy to turn around an organization. However, the kind of aggression I'm describing is more about determined focus, drive, and enthusiasm for success.
Nobody wants to work with someone ready to attack, fight, or be forceful with people to get things done. Applying that same energy to the problem (not people) always works.
A jerk is someone who is combative, unfriendly, or assertive in how they handle people. If you grind away all night to fix a software bug, or integrate a system that's good.
Fighting over who gets the best leads or has the right to a corner office is bad. Aggression in business needs focus. Especially in business development, sales, and marketing.
How do you know if you are too aggressive? An important measure is the stakeholders who matter. Yes, some stakeholders have more influence than others.
I've worked in environments where the executive signing the checks wanted aggression. To the point of breaking bad habits, as long as I replaced them with good habits.
The middle managers I worked with were already on the short list. My job was to be a catalyst for change, identify problems, and implement despite local leadership.
How I've Created More Than A Billion Dollars For Clients
You don't solve big problems by looking under little rocks. Results come to those who dig in with the uncomfortable truths.
When I saved a company $100 million by finding a major gap in their general ledger controls, it upset some people. Especially when a senior-level executive stepped over two levels of supervisors above me.
The direct request was made, I took immediate action, and then reported back, copying my manager. Evidently, the executive didn't notify the manager that I'd be reassigned.
Within a few days I was talking with the company Treasurer. Their subject-matter experts were explaining how money moves between general ledgers and wholly owned subsidiaries.
What I identified, and someone on my team verified, was a control failure that allowed money to be moved where it should not be. They had to check the secret list of affiliated firms to see if there was any fraud.
Tracing the money with controls in place revealed no known issues. However, a self-identified Matter Requiring Attention (MRA) went up proactively.
Even when the treasury team was praising my manager's senior leadership, I was being chewed out. Then came the risk assessment from the Chief Accounting Office (CAO) estimating the risk avoidance.
They didn't want someone to putz around and look into it. They wanted assessment, validation, and evidence of a solution. A self-identified issue has less impact than an unseen, abused gap.
In three decades of service, you don't create a billion dollars in value by taking it easy. When a client has a problem, I dig into it.
What Million Dollar Problems Do You Want Solved?
You don't have to be a bull in a china shop, yet you do need to get things done. Don't take “No” for an answer; hold people accountable.
It is possible to cause more harm than good by being aggressive. However, as professionals, we frame that balance only in terms of objectives.
I've seen super-secret leveraged buyouts, had someone's mortgage called to address an accounts payable issue, and been screwed over by back-room deals.
You will often get what you give. I always find an aggressive resolution shortens the pain of inevitable mistakes, market downturns, and problems.
Only what was necessary was done. Some markets are extremely competitive. That's the nature and reality of business.
Then again, when applied to million-dollar problems, aggression is necessary. Making enough sales this quarter could be a matter of lay-offs, or closures.
For some companies, taking too long to be positioned in a market can cost hundreds of millions over the lifetime of the business. Sometimes an intervention is needed, rather than a pat on the back.
Yes, many people will feel uncomfortable. Some will even be jealous of what you accomplish.
Yet the right consultative approach, everyone wins. To properly understand a situation, identify a problem, and take meaningful action serves everyone.
If you've got a million-dollar problem worth solving, and you want expert help, schedule a consultation. You'll be happy you did.
Are you too aggressive? What are some times when aggression is needed? Or do you believe aggression is counterproductive? Let me know your take.
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