For those of you unfamiliar with the term, due to a complete
lack of exposure to 1960s sci-fi classics or the fact that
you've been sharing a cave with Elvis for the past few decades,
a Vulcan is a fictional race of humanoids, doubtless thought
up by stressed out screen writers after one glass of Romulan
ale too many. How do I know that Vulcans are fictional? Easy.
They're a planet of human look-alikes (pointy ears notwithstanding)
who live by the code of logic and display no emotion. Completely
logical humans, who never make stupid, emotional decisions
or outbursts? Yeah, right. Pour me some of that Romulan ale,
buddy.
It doesn't matter what goals you pursue in life. To get your
plan from point A to point B, sooner or later, you're going
to have to deal with people. They're everywhere. I was actually
going to observe that you couldn't swing a dead cat without
hitting one, but then I thought of the hours of explanation
I'd have to offer to our Vulcan friends as to why that was
funny. I know, I know. The cats wouldn't be amused, either.
This is why there are no comedy clubs on planet Vulcan. Well,
that and the fact that Vulcans probably don't drink, either.
Nonetheless, we humans are known to hoist a cold one from
time to time, and mindless, inappropriate and downright silly
antics are sure to ensue. However, if you think people need
to get tipsy in order to become emotional, irrational, and
downright stupid, rest assured, this behavior comes as standard
equipment. This is a very important consideration any time
your goals and plans run the risk of coming into contact with
one or more of the human race.
To better understand how it is that people are almost uniquely
gifted in the universe when it comes to screwing up the best
laid plans of mice, men, women, and small furry creatures
from Alpha Centauri (also known as Tribbles), let's take a
closer look at the basic components.
In their simplest form, people are a combination of mental,
physical and emotional attributes, mixed in a wide variety
of proportions. The physical part is easy enough to understand.
It's what stands in line at the super duper roller coaster
while the emotions ask the mental exactly what they were thinking.
The mental aspects get much more exercise in the business
world. In fact, these are the guys who do the work of coming
up with all those best laid plans, and a fine job they do.
The only problem is that the mental facilities aren't usually
on speaking terms with the emotional, and that's where it
all starts to go south.
Whenever you have a plan or proposal that requires interaction
with others, it invariably has its first encounter with the
emotions of the other parties. That's because by default,
people tend to consider their own hopes and fears first, and
that's an emotional experience.
How much work will this create for them? Will it interfere
with their plans for a raise or promotion? Are they going
to look stupid if they can't deliver on their end? Does it
pose a threat to any of their turf or status? How much stress
will it put them under?
If you're not already emotionally drained from all these questions,
you'll quickly see that each and every idea that you come
up with can be a highly charged, hand wringing experience
for others. Consequently, even if they speak in even, measured
tones, you need to expect reactions based not solely on logic,
but also on emotion and self interest. If you ignore the emotional,
petty and human side of the equation, all the logic in the
world won't save your plan from disaster.
So plan logically, and plan often. But never forget that you're
dealing with people. Remember, Vulcans are fictional. Your
coworkers aren't.
Christopher Duncan is the best selling author
of Unite the Tribes and The Career Programmer. In addition
to his seminars, he's a popular speaker and frequent guest
on radio shows across the country. He's currently working
to improve companies and careers nationwide through his work
with the Campaign for American Excellence. To contact Christopher,
visit http://www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
