Start with the Platinum Rule: treat colleagues the way they want to be treated. If you don't know their preferences, use the WITH THEM mindset to flip from "what's in it for me?" to "what's in it for them?" Ask clear questions, listen hard, and confirm you understand before making your request.
How to ask for what you want at work. Well, there are a couple of rules and we've been talking about them for a while. Number 1 is you follow the Platinum Rule, which is you got to treat others the way they want to be treated. So, depends on who you're asking, how you treat them. And if you don't know, you use the second tool, which is called WITH THEM. Everyone, everyone in the world is focused on themselves, WITH UM, what's in it for me? So, you turn it around and you use WITH THEM, what's in it for them? And yes, you're going to discuss what you want in the workplace or what you need, but you got to understand what's in it for them. And if you do not have a clue about what's in it for them, then you have to ask them. You have to use great questions and listen, listen really hard and ask better follow-up questions to make sure that you understand what's in it for them. And then yes, once you make it about others, then you can start communicating with what you want. Stay tuned for the next post.
