Does it drive you crazy when you have a good idea, an original approach or a unique solution and the first thing someone can say is, “Yeah, but…”? It’s time to eliminate those words and turn them into “Yes, and…”
Before we jump ahead, those who routinely offer the, “Yeah, but…” are probably the individuals who ground those of us with wild, crazy and risky ideas. So, it can be a good balance. And their caution may be for good reason and may bring up a valid point of view.
First, open your mind to listen to the objection and ask a clarifying question or two. They say, “Yeah, but what happens when the customer says no?” You might respond, “Let’s look at that for a moment. Which customers do you think would most likely respond that way?” and “What is it, do you think, that would make them feel that way?”
Then, address the elephant. The elephant is the problem or roadblock that is preventing the conversation from continuing in a positive direction in order to explore possibilities. “I hear your concern, and it’s good to hear why you feel that way. Now, I’d like to continue exploring my idea a bit more. Let’s start by looking at the benefits of what’s been suggested.”
Too often, a “Yeah, but…” ends productive discussion because the person who brought up the idea feels shot down, may not continue and may get defensive. The “Yeah, but…” team member who brought up the objection gets defensive in return. They get stuck defending themselves because they haven’t been given any credibility and have not been able to explore their concern at all.
When the clarifying questions are asked, the elephant addressed and the original idea explored, both people are more open to the discussion and good things happen. With both team members engaged in productive conversation, you’re on your way to an “A-ha!” such as, “A-ha! I’ve never thought of it that way! The idea may only apply to the top 20% of our customers, but those are the ones who we’d like to duplicate. My concern was valid that we’d lose some customers, but if we lose some of the bottom 15%, that may be worth the trade off! I’m glad we had this discussion. Let’s do it!”