The OARB framework: Why appealing to self-interest is better for everyone
The OARB framework: Why appealing to self-interest is better for everyoneYou must give your recipient a reason to take your feedback. Go straight for what will hit them in the gut: appeal to why they'll personally benefit.👋 Hey, it’s Wes. Welcome to my weekly newsletter on managing up, driving growth, and standing out as a high-performing leader. ⛑️ Work with me 1:1 for executive coaching. I pour my strategic thinking into helping my clients as a sparring partner. If you’re interested in how I can support you, hit reply or fill out this form. In this week’s newsletter, I’ll share an advanced technique for getting your feedback recipient to perk up and take action.
Read time: 8 minutes It’s hard to persuade people to change. Which is why I’m shocked at how many leaders choose to play on “hard mode” by ignoring truths about human nature when trying to drive behavior change in team members. Three truths about human nature:
If you want to drive behavior change, I believe you must take these truths into account. Appealing to a person’s better nature—for example, by sharing the impact of a higher-order benefit like how their actions impact the team—might be enough to change someone’s behavior 70% of the time. But for tougher situations where the person isn’t easily persuaded, you may want to bust out a tactic that’s more industrial-strength. Enter: appealing to self-interest. Part I: The OARB framework (observation, assertion, repercussion, benefit)Appealing to self-interest is better for everyone. They’ll stop doing what’s ineffective and start doing what works. You’ll spend less time convincing them to take your feedback seriously. I created the OARB framework (Observation, Assertion, Repercussion, Benefit) to maximize the chances your recipient will understand what to change, why, and how they will benefit.
I teach this to my executive coaching clients to help them feel more confident giving hard-to-hear, necessary feedback. Here are a few examples of the OARB framework in action (with color-coding): Example 1: A VP giving feedback to their director-level report
Why this works:
Example 2: An executive sharing feedback with a peer
Why this works:
Example 3: A CEO telling their exec to avoid being overly upset by disappointment/frustration
Why this works:
Part II: Make it feel visceral by using good logicLet’s say you’re giving feedback on why your team member should manage up more.
Sure, aiming for team success is great… Cue polite golf applause. But shooting myself in the foot? Creating more work for myself? Making my own life harder? These hit at a visceral level. These are concrete, visual, and appeal to self-interest. When in doubt, avoid appealing to higher-order abstract benefits like “crucial for our team’s success.” Appeal to what’s raw and visceral. Aim to make your recipient FEEL something. One thing to note: Emotion and logic are not opposites. Rallying someone to take action is not about using stereotypically inspiring rhetoric. You’re not Mel Gibson in Braveheart. You’re not Viggo Mortensen rallying an army to fight Sauron. In the workplace, what you’re saying has to actually make sense. It has to track. People mistakenly think the way to get someone to feel is by appealing wholly to emotion. But you can actually get someone to feel something by having sound logic that appeals to their identity and worldview. Good logic leads to your recipient feeling the reaction you want them to feel. When your logic makes sense from their perspective, they will change. Part III: Adopt a neutral postureFor all this to work, your recipient must realize it’s THEIR CHOICE to change. You’ve done your part by presenting your observation, assertion, repercussions, and benefits to them using the 4-part framework. But it’s ultimately their choice. I like to say:
People don’t want to be strong-armed. They don’t want to be forced to change. You don’t want to persuade them from a posture of desperation. You want to present facts and observations, and in doing so, help them see the cost of continuing down the path they're on. Comment on the behavior, not the personI once worked with a CEO who had a habit of telling people, “I know you better than you know yourself.” It drove their direct reports nuts. The CEO sometimes had good insights, but people were too busy feeling unfairly labeled to listen. His approach was counterproductive. If you try to tell people how they are, their natural reaction will be to push back. In general, avoid making claims that sound overreaching because you will inadvertently invite people to debate you. They’ll think, “You don’t know me. GTFO.” Instead, comment on how a specific behavior makes them come across a certain way.
This language is intentional because I don’t want to trigger people to argue with me. I’m commenting on my perception or other people’s perception of them. This is harder to argue with than me proposing that I know who they are deep down. I don’t know who they are deep down at their core—I only know how they show up at work and how they come across based on how they behave and what they say. So I’m sticking to facts and data points that are more objective. If you use the OARB framework, your recipient is much more likely to really hear you—and act on your suggestion. What did you find most helpful? Feel free to hit reply. Thanks for being here, and I’ll see you next Wednesday at 8am ET. Wes PS If you found this valuable, here are more ways I can help:
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