I was talking to a client yesterday about this agreements concept and he told me about an agreement he wanted someone to accept.
I then told him a true agreement is not just one side making an agreement, but both sides working together to co-create one.
I referenced the story about an executive and a project manager that I shared on the list a few days ago while talking about Steve Chandler’s Expectations v. Agreement audio.
The executive solicited the manager’s help to create an agreement that would work, and they co-created something good.
Creating agreements often follows a format like this:
- Here’s an approach we could take. What do you think about that?
- Edit the idea as needed based on their feedback, then:
- “Do you agree to x if I do y?” or “Do you agree to do x?”
The Co-Creation makes it a lot more likely to happen. Without a co-created agreement, you’ll likely just have expectations.
Expectations are often the source of resentment and disappointment instead of the mutual trust and commitment true agreements can make.
Josh