• the concept
• all of its benefits
• potential problems
• solutions to those problems
• a compelling argument for acting now

What response did you get? The number one answer is "I'll think about it." Unfortunately, your boss or prospect never get around to thinking about it and the idea dies a natural death.

How do you avoid this problem? Instead of making a pitch, ask your boss or prospect to help you think through the idea. Ask how she would handle the obstacles you forsee. Ask her to punch holes in your idea. At the end of the discussion, if your analysis is correct, she's likely to approve your idea on the spot. Why? She's taken time to think about it!

Not only has she been thinking about the idea, she's validating her conclusions with her experiences. By the time she reaches a final conclusion, the idea has been fully explored and corroborated by her knowledge and experience. The likelihood of her acting on your idea is greatly enhanced by this validation.

The natural tendency is to expect our arguments to persuade others. Counter-intuitive thinkers know that others are persuaded by their experiences. By the way, this approach works well in gaining your employees' acceptance of your ideas for increasing productivity.

• become "ill" more frequently
• experience more family "emergencies"
• give us exactly what we ask for even when we're wrong
• make poor priority decisions
• stop educating themselves
• resist improvement initiatives
• refuse to make decisions

All of these behaviors cause us, as managers, to invest huge chunks of our time making sure the work gets done instead of focusing our attention on creating a brighter future for ourselves, our employees and our company.