Skip to content

Are you naturally a “can kicker” or “wheel greaser”?

Clive
— 1 min read

Two phrases I recently heard made me think about influential stakeholders. Some take steps to avoid decision making. Others won’t stop until a decision is made.

And, without being political, you may see this playing out at the highest levels.

What are the phrases?

  1. “Kicking the can down the road.” Meaning to delay dealing with a problem. Often putting something that looks like action into place, but is just a delaying tactic.
  2. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Meaning to make problems visible. In doing so attract attention to them and increase the chances of action.

I’m sure you can find plenty of examples without having to try hard.

This week’s mini-mission is to answer three questions:

When have you seen a stakeholder deploy these strategies to delay, or accelerate, your project?

Would you every recommended these strategies to your client? If not, why not?

Are you naturally a “can kicker” or “wheel greaser”?

Please let me know. Was this brief a useful exploration for you?

The Influence Briefs

Clive

Related Posts

Members Public

Talking too much

I was in a meeting once where I said a lot. Frankly… I just talked too much. Good points. Clear insights. People nodding (off). Afterwards, my boss pulled me to one side and said, “You didn’t hear half of what the client said, did you?” She was right. I’

Members Public

The deluxe service

If you’ve stayed at a posh hotel you may already know about the deluxe services that are available … if you have enough money. And, I’m not talking about a bigger room and well-stocked the mini-bar. That’s nice but with the deluxe service comes a suite

Members Public

What did you try this week that's different?

Just take a moment to answer this question. What did you try this week that's different? And I'm not meaning eating Hákarl (although kudos if you did). I'm meaning a different way to have impact or influence. Most candidates applying for coaching haven'