Just because you’re energized to accomplish your objective doesn’t mean your cross-functional colleagues will be. Behind their kind smiles and nodding heads, they have their own priorities.
How do you enroll and align cross-functional colleagues to your priorities?
Before asking team members why they are motivated or excited to achieve the objective you own, consider asking the counterintuitive question: What aren’t you excited about?
Here are some variations:
- What action item or task do you loathe to take on?
- Which aspect of our plan least energizes you?
- Which detail of the decision we just made is ambiguous?
Productive Backward Focused Energy
Selling or persuading others to prioritize your objectives creates passive support at best—and worse: creates resistance.
While emphasizing the benefits of achieving your function’s priorities, it’s also valuable to understand where your cross-functional colleagues will choose to contribute their energy first—and last.
Asking a backward focused question like “what aren’t you excited about” informs you of two vital pieces of information:
- Where your colleagues will likely procrastinate or even neglect to put forth effort.
- Where you have opportunities to support your colleagues, to address barriers, to do the work of leadership.
A productive backward focused question opens the space for honest dialogue. With a shared reality you deepen alignment to priorities.
