This is an image of a Hohner Melodica Soprano from the 1950’s.
The other day I was at an event and needed some assistance with a certain task. I texted a contact that was on the other side of a very large building and they sent over another team member to help. When that other team member arrived, they had the wrong idea of why they were there. When I tried to explain the actual reason I needed assistance, I could read their body language and see a shift in their stance and an exhale of breath that said to me, ” What is this person going to tell me that I didn’t already know?”
It was very clear they had the wrong information to begin with and didn’t appear receptive to what was accurate. When I saw this I quickly pivoted in my brain and shortened my next statement as to not further confuse or annoy them.
To me this is a great analogy to what it’s like sometimes trying to present new ideas to clients, stakeholders, or upper-level corporate management. Both sides that seem to believe they know more than the other. I often wonder how people navigate through these situations. I’m sure many people have their own tricks or strategies to get their ideas pushed through.