If you’re a Visionary striving to get the most out of your Integrator, so you can drive more revenue, do more of what you love, and have confidence in your operations … forward this email to your Integrator or Number 2 right now.

If you’re an Integrator or the Second-Hand struggling to wrangle your Visionary and want to better align so you can get results faster, stop spinning in circles and feel good about your day-to-day work … Read on …

Remember that scene in Finding Nemo, when Marlin asks Dory … You speak whale?!?!

Dory deploys a bunch of different tactics and dialects to get the whale’s attention … high-pitch, low-pitch, softer, louder, humpback, orcha

And Marlin says, this isn’t whale – this sounds like upset stomach … you actually sound sick.

I know … It’s silly … BUT it reminds me of the struggle I hear from Integrators about the battle they go through everyday trying to align with their Visionary. And sometimes it makes them sick. 🙁

BUT, there is good news … There can be a very healthy relationship between the Visionary and Integrator.

However, a healthy relationship dynamic is usually initiated by the Integrator. We may not like this reality or even be up for it, but it’s the truth.

In fact, I just had a conversation with a lady who sold her company to Bill Gates discussing this very thing.

Having sat in both the Visionary and Integrator seats … These tactics work! Try them … and let me know!

Tactics for Speaking Visionary:

1. Say No 

   Every Integrator or Assistant I coach nearly has a heart attack when I first tell them to say no. But, here’s the thing … You’re NOT saying no to the Visionary or the Vision.
   
   You’re saying no to everything that gets in the way of helping the Visionary achieve their Vision. And that’s what they hired you to do. Read that again.You’re saying no to … Shiny pennies … Things that don’t move the needle … The visionary’s own resistance to doing THE thing that needs to be done …… Starting three new projects before the first nine are finished … Solving problems that aren’t actually problems … And the list goes on …This is WHY running a business in 90-Day cycles is so critical.There’s a time and place to address all the distractions. It’s not every day or on every meeting.

   So start saying … “on the list, we’ll talk about it on our 90-Day Review” and stick with the 90-day Execution Plan.

2. Communicate in Bullet Points
   
   Most Visionaries are High-D … Meaning they are demanding, domineering, hard-charging, dynamic and want everything done yesterday.And Integrator’s wouldn’t have a job if they weren’t like that … Visionaries often get the impossible started, BUT typically create a mess in the process.And that’s where you come in!You handle the details, organize the chaos, implement systems to support the striving, and make them look good.BUT, in order to do this well you need decisions from them.If you’re like the Integrators I coach, you send an email or attend a meeting then leave feeling lost and defeated because you didn’t get answers to what you needed to get your job done.Try this …
   
   Write your emails, structure your meetings, and send voice messages using only 6 bullets …

   1) Problem
   2) Solution
   3) Goal
   4) Impact
   5) Investment
   6) Ask

   Make giving you an answer a Yes or No action on their part. The less they have to do the quicker you’ll get what you need.

3. Proactively Give Insights 

   If a Visionary has to come ask you for an update on a project, task or meeting agenda … that’s no good.Once you have the Vision, know the 90-Day Priorities, and the Metrics for Success … you want to build trust by presenting updates, insights, and data BEFORE they ask.If they ask, then they start worrying about everything else that might be dropped.That’s the perfect storm that gets Visionary’s labeled as control freaks, micro-managers, spastic … and all over the place.This is when they start feeling like they have to sit in both the Visionary and Integrator seats at the same time.

   Avoid this like the plague by thinking tactically before they do and solving a tactical problem before they think of it and come ask you.

   If you’re waiting for your Visionary to miraculously be systematized and organized then they wouldn’t need you.

   And sometimes organizing isn’t just workflows, processes, digital files, and schedules … It’s training them to stay focused because you’re their eyes and ears under the hood.

The 3 tactics above help you help them do what they hired you to do AND ultimately leads to the Vision becoming a reality and everyone wins!

If you’re a Visionary, and need help setting up the 90-Day Structure you’re Integrator can thrive in, click here to schedule a call.

If you’re interested in more Integrator Insights, consider joining our Advance Notice List for our Integrator Mastermind launching soon.