If you’ve ever wanted to have more influence, more impact, and get people on board with your mission, vision, purpose, stick around, today’s podcast episode is for you.
Today’s simple tip will help shift your energy as it related to recruiting people to “getting on the same page” or helping you achieve a goal. I’m going to share with you some examples of how this has worked for a few of my clients.
Regardless of where you are in your career path, there will be a lesson for you.
THE most effective way to get people on board with your mission, vision, and purpose is to ask everyone in your circle consistently, “how can I support you at the moment?”
When you ask this, it’s like there’s this law of reciprocity that happens for the person you are asking that question to. Often times, they will ask you the very same question.
Couple of rules:
Make sure you don’t over-commit yourself. Meaning, if they answer the “how can I support you” question with something outside of your expertise or bandwidth… simply tell them it’s outside of your scope but you are happy to keep it in mind, as you are engaging in other conversations.
If you CAN support them, follow through with the next step, at least within 48 hours.
In the episode, I give three specific examples of how this question has transformed three of my client’s work situations.
1. One leader on a 225-person organization dramatically increased employee retention and engagement significantly in one 12-month period because she implements the “how can I support you” question to every one of her managers/directors and had them do the same to their direct reports.
2. One non-profit director had a personal fund-raising goal bigger than any goal she had ever set for herself. She didn’t want to just keep asking her current donors for more money. Once she did what I suggested, she accomplished her fundraising goal in less than 100 days vs. the year she challenged herself to complete it.
3. A client I worked with a few years back was trying to figure out how to master her message in a way that wasn’t going to sound too salesy. She was always going in for the ask and it just felt like she wasn’t really getting anywhere with it. At first, we refined her sales process and identified WHO was already talking/marketing to her ideal client (or potential referral partners). I challenged her to always ask potential referral partners, “how can I support you?”. This activity led my client to an opportunity that got her in front of a national media outlet that cater exclusively to my client’s ideal clients.
So with that said, the big lesson for this podcast is for you today is to end every conversation with “How can I support you, at the moment?”, every day.
I promise you it is going to so serve you in the long run because people are going to be flattered. They’re going to be excited that you’ve asked that question and they’re going to be more likely to ask you the same question and get involved with whatever it is or at least help you with your mission, vision, purpose on this planet.
