Greg Nathan's Franchise Relations Tip #4

h2>Why It Pays to Not be a Know-It-All

Read the following sentence and count the letter Fs you see.

FRANCHISE FAILURE IS THE RE-
SULT OF YEARS OF UNSCIENTIF-
IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS.

Chances are you saw three or maybe four. There are actually six. Don't worry, you're normal. It's a simple but effective example of how our brains filter out information.

We are constantly ignoring things to prevent information overload

Our brains do a great job of making sense of the world, but everything is not always as it seems. We are constantly ignoring some things to prevent information overload. In other words, our

view of a situation may not just be different from others (because they are focusing on different things), it may also be at odds with the facts.

For this reason, when I have an urge to strongly disagree with someone, I first try to step back and consider that, rather than me being right and them being wrong, we may be just seeing the same situation differently. We may be focusing on different things.

A useful approach to prevent getting into an unnecessary argument is to initially be a bit tentative and say something like, “So tell me how you see this” or “I may be wrong but this is the way I see it….How does this compare to the way you see things?”

A tentative approach shows respect for others

A tentative approach shows respect for others and you may be surprised at how effective it is in diffusing a tense situation. After you have explored how others see things, you can then take a firmer position if you want to. However, you will now be on firmer ground because chances are you won't have missed any of the Fs and thus won't get caught out unawares.

Remember there are two Fs in franchising – the Franchisor and the Franchisee. And sometimes, differences of opinions are caused by people having access to different information and thus seeing things differently.

Speaking of being tentative, can I tentatively invite you and your team to our next Profitable Partnership Boot Camps in Denver on May 25 & 26, 2010?  I'd be thrilled if you and your team can join us.

Register for Profitable Partnerships Boot Camp! May 25 & 26 in Denver. Hope you can join us!

Greg Nathan
Managing Director
Franchise Relationships Institute
www.FranchiseRelationships.com

Attendees will earn 300 Education Credits towards completion of the
Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) accreditation or CFE re-certification
by attending this program.

Greg Nathan, Managing Director of Franchise Relationships Institute

 

Often described as the international thought-leader and expert on franchise relationships, no one understands the unique challenges and rewards inherent in the franchisee-franchisor relationship like Greg and his team of psychologists at Franchise Relationships Institute. They have spent the past 20 years researching the science of successful franchise relations.