Excerpted from Harvard Business Review, The Management Tip of the Day on October 27, 2015
Stop Underestimating Your Own Influence
We persistently underestimate our influence. We don’t suggest ideas to our boss or ask coworkers for help because we fear rejection. So we wind up missing opportunities because we doubt our own powers of persuasion. Yet our bosses and peers are probably more receptive to requests than we realize. We don’t realize that it’s usually harder for people, even bosses, to say “no” than “yes.” So the next time you have a request, remember that you’re more persuasive than you think:
- Just ask. Don’t psyche yourself out.
- Be direct. Don’t drop hints. People respond more positively to direct requests.
- Go back and ask again. Don’t assume you shouldn’t approach someone because they’ve previously said “no.” People might be more likely to say “yes” later – especially if they feel guilty about having said no in the past.
Adapted from “You’re Already More Persuasive than You Think," by Vanessa K. Bohns