Machiavelli Lite
7/4/06 12:48![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darkemeraldsIt's a mark of my recovery from recent sad events that I'm throwing myself pretty wholeheartedly today back into the minor-league Machiavellian machinations that comprise my job.
So I'll share with you the most important thing I've learned in life so far...you know, not counting all the kindergarten stuff.
No, the secret is not that sexy new shoes and a ruffly silk blouse will cheer a girl up. I just wanted to show-n-tell.
It's this.
Everybody wants two kinds of things: Important, big-picture things like Love, Comfort, Pleasure, Security--which we'll call A. And immediate ego-need things like winning the argument or being right, which we'll call B.
The more you cede other people's B items to them in any conflict, the more they'll let you have your A items. As a side benefit, they often volunteer to take your most annoying problems off your hands at the same time.
Case in point: In a mad power play, my biggest detractor here at work has proposed to take one staff member and two programs away from me.
My B here is, "No! That's mine! Power! Territory! Grabby-grabby." But my A is, "Salary. Office. Time to post to LJ during the workday if I feel like it."
So I said, "That sounds like a great plan!" Then I went to our boss and said, "Dude. Here are two new projects I can take on to make you Comfortable, Secure, and Well-Liked By Those Up On The Twelfth Floor."
And lo. I keep my salary and my office, hand my most difficult staff member and my two most boring programs over to my eager and willing detractor, and win big points with El Jefe.
Everybody wins. It's awesome.
So I'll share with you the most important thing I've learned in life so far...you know, not counting all the kindergarten stuff.
No, the secret is not that sexy new shoes and a ruffly silk blouse will cheer a girl up. I just wanted to show-n-tell.
It's this.
Everybody wants two kinds of things: Important, big-picture things like Love, Comfort, Pleasure, Security--which we'll call A. And immediate ego-need things like winning the argument or being right, which we'll call B.
The more you cede other people's B items to them in any conflict, the more they'll let you have your A items. As a side benefit, they often volunteer to take your most annoying problems off your hands at the same time.
Case in point: In a mad power play, my biggest detractor here at work has proposed to take one staff member and two programs away from me.
My B here is, "No! That's mine! Power! Territory! Grabby-grabby." But my A is, "Salary. Office. Time to post to LJ during the workday if I feel like it."
So I said, "That sounds like a great plan!" Then I went to our boss and said, "Dude. Here are two new projects I can take on to make you Comfortable, Secure, and Well-Liked By Those Up On The Twelfth Floor."
And lo. I keep my salary and my office, hand my most difficult staff member and my two most boring programs over to my eager and willing detractor, and win big points with El Jefe.
Everybody wins. It's awesome.
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(no subject)
9/4/06 09:14 (UTC)(no subject)
9/4/06 17:41 (UTC)