Choose your response - how do you do that? In the face of
being flamed in an e mail; getting a less than favorable
performance review; receiving poor customer service;
getting a rejection to your sales pitch; being pressured by
a sales pitch; feeling a sense of obligation to respond; or
any of a thousand other ways, how do you choose your
response?
It ain't easy, but the answer is to invoke the "24 Hour
Rule." That Rule states that, except for life threatening
emergencies, you have 24 hours to respond to most
situations. The Rule says that instant response is, in most
cases, not best response. The Rule says that quick response
favors the person or event that put you in the position of
having to respond. The Rule says that taking the time to
choose a response favors you - it shows emotional maturity
and the ability to respond effectively. The Rule also says
that most things that have the potential to create instant
response, such as being cut off on the freeway, aren't
worth any response.
The Rule provides the space to consider alternatives,
consult, get advice, information and facts, and see the
situation from different perspectives. In most situations,
that results in a best possible situation.
Let's face it - in work, there are many situations where a
response is expected right away. It would be suicide not to
give an immediate response. But that response can be shaped
as a request for the time to take action to get facts,
touch base with others, look at alternatives. Rarely will
the situation call for a snap decision based on incomplete
information and analysis of alternatives. If a person
demands an immediate response, there's a good chance that
action, rather than decision, will be acceptable and
expected, as long as the request includes a time commitment.
On a different level, a story about car buying and the 24
Hour Rule:
My daughter was shopping for an almost new SUV. She had
found one in her price range, but it was a dull color and
she was really not very interested in it. On the other
hand, she needed a newer vehicle, it was in the price, age
and mileage range, and it was the brand she wanted, and
there didn't appear to be many on the market. Plus the
salesman told her there were other people interested in it,
and she should act now to buy it - or face the possibility
of losing it. She called me; we talked about what was good
and bad about the deal. I told her to remember there is
always another vehicle; and if she really didn't like the
color, that was an acceptable reason for passing. She
passed. She spent a week or two looking at other SUV's.
After about two weeks, the salesman she passed on called:
he had an SUV that fit all of her requirements, and it had
all the bells and whistles, and it was a great color. She
bought it - she's happy. She would have hated that first
SUV - she would have regretted not waiting. The 24 Hour
Rule worked for her.
A suggestion: Take an inventory of your own decisions. Do
you act impulsively on things? What price have you paid for
acting on impulse? Do you have regrets or an "if only"
feeling about decisions, actions, purchases that you have
made? If you do, put the 24 Hour Rule in your self talk.
And the next time you're tempted to respond immediately,
ask yourself if taking 24 hours to choose your response can
help you make a better response. I guarantee that in 95% of
your situations, that time will be well spent.
Replace the "act in haste, repent at your leisure" behavior
by using the 24 Hour Rule - it works.
----------------------------------------------------
Andy Cox helps clients align their resources and design and
implement change through the application of goals focused
on the important few elements that have maximum impact in
achieving success - as defined by the client. He can be
reached at http://www.coxconsultgroup.com or at
acox@coxconsultgroup.com
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