• Question:

  I have a manager who wants me to deliver training that I know is not the right approach, but he is in a powerful position. I am finding it hard to tell him no. What do you suggest that I do?

• Answer:

  The answer is that the solution takes courage and a process.

  The courage required is to be honest with your manager just as you expect other professionals to be. For example, you would not respect a doctor who prescribes the wrong medication just because a patient asks for it, or an accountant who goes along with a practice that is illegal or unacceptable to the IRS. Being a professional and earning a reputation as a trusted advisor requires telling the truth, even when it is not what the person wants to hear. You need to have a "crucial conversation" with this manager and that requires courage. But it is essential; your reputation and your credibility depend on it.

  It is also important to have a process that will help the manager think more deeply about the real business issues and understand the rationale for your advice. Many learning professionals have found that the D1 Outcomes Planning Wheel™ provides a process to help frame the discussion. It may help you and this manager get on the same page.

  Use the Planning Wheel to ask the manager to describe the business need that he is trying to meet. Next, ask what she/he wants the attendees to do better and differently in their work following the training. Who will be able to confirm these changes? And finally, how can the outcomes be measured in a way that will give him/her confidence that improvement has really been achieved?

  With this information in hand, you then can present a different approach and explain why it will be more likely to produce the behaviors and results he is looking for. Starting with a clear definition of the "end in mind" and proposing a solution that is specifically designed to meet the real business need is usually enough to sway a manager to accept an alternative approach.

  What do others think? What would you do?

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