Your company gives a whole new meaning to the importance of having employees with a great deal of drive. In terms of getting through to the corporate staff, you told them that they need to schedule more of these meetings on one day. However, when you tell people what they need to do, they often react with resistance. Try using a sales approach that tailors your comments to the needs, objectives, and style of these corporate personnel.
For example, if they are financial types, you should make a thorough, detailed presentation that spells out the costs of the current scheduling and the savings associated with your approach. By letting them see that your thinking is similar to theirs, you are far more likely to influence them. Be sure to mention the value of various high-tech solutions, such as videoconferencing, audioconferencing, and screensharing.
If the meeting schedule still appears to be better suited for stock car drivers than managers, one near-term option is to try to make the rides more productive, such as by listening to management tapes along the way. However, if the lack of topside responsiveness is typical of the way that branch managers are treated, perhaps it is time to focus more on the direction in which you are driving your career.
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