The Key to Winning Program teaches a new perspective. With this new perspective, individuals and organizations are able to have much more agreement with their decisions and solutions than they could before.

Our perspectives play a significant role in our lives. They're formed by the ideas and perceptions in our minds. These ideas and perceptions create a perspective from which we view ourselves and the world around us.

Our perspectives also have a very powerful effect on the information and solutions that come to mind.

For example, a person with a teenage perspective might bring to mind a teenage solution for a problem, while a person with an adult perspective might bring to mind a very different solution for the same problem.

Several years ago, we were looking for a solution to the interpersonal conflicts that prevent true teamwork when we made a surprising discovery.

We discovered that the perspective that people commonly use, when they are creating solutions, will often prevent a solution from coming to mind that everyone involved can wholeheartedly agree with.

So when people are not like-minded (which is often the case), a compromise is usually the best solution we are able to bring to mind.

The tendency is to think that it is the diversity of viewpoints that is preventing us from coming up with a solution that everyone involved can wholeheartedly agree with.

We discovered that it's more often the perspective that people are using when they are solving a problem that is limiting them to a compromise solution.

A "compromise solution," as we're using it, is any decision or solution that doesn't have the wholehearted agreement of the people involved, or isn't truly a fit for the people it's impacting. If, for example, an agreement, group decision or directive doesn't have the wholehearted agreement of the people involved, it's a compromise solution.

Because a compromise has often been the best solution we've been able to bring to mind, we've tended to lose sight of the value of wholehearted agreement. So even in situations where wholehearted agreement might have been possible, people have looked for and accepted compromise solutions instead.

Because compromise solutions are so common, we tend to think of them as solutions that people are truly in agreement with. But often it's not the case.

People impacted by a compromise solution often agree to accept it, even when they are not in wholehearted agreement with it. It's usually because, to them, it's the best option available. But agreeing "to" a solution is not the same as agreeing "with" it.

Here's the problem. When people are not in wholehearted agreement with a decision or solution that is impacting them, or when a solution is not truly a fit for them, in most cases, it tends to induce a measure of protectiveness.

The protectiveness that's induced can show up in many forms. For example, it can show up as defensiveness or a lack of trust. Also, it can interfere with people's thinking and performance, and can sidetrack them from the goal.

In contrast, when a solution is truly a fit for the people involved, it never induces protectiveness. So the solution is much more effective.

Because compromise solutions are usually the best solution we're able to bring to mind when people's viewpoints are diverse, they are often valued, especially when the alternative would be "no solution at all."

But compromise solutions, by their very nature, are not truly a fit for the people involved, and they do not result in wholehearted agreement with the solution. As a result, they limit the effectiveness of our solutions, and tend to induce protectiveness in the people who are impacted by them.

Aware of the many problems that result when there isn't wholehearted agreement with decisions or solutions, we formed a team to see if we could develop a perspective that could remedy this.

Initially, we were able to develop a perspective that could produce much more agreement with people's decisions and solutions. It required several years of additional development to perfect it.

Now that this perspective has been developed, individuals and organizations have a new option — the ability to replace compromise solutions with wholehearted agreement. And it changes everything.

For example, we taught the perspective to Jean Harris (Vice President of Operations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee) and her managers. There were 700 employees in their division. In just a few days, this new perspective turned the group into a fully integrated team.

The extent of the transformation was so surprising to them, Jean said in her feedback to us:

This class is outstanding! In a few days of training, it put me and my managers completely on the same page.

During the next ten years, their meetings were much shorter than they had been before, problem solving became much easier, and their solutions were much more effective.

With the perspective, they were able to develop procedures and policies that were much more of a fit for the people they impacted. As a result, they substantially increased efficiency throughout the division, significantly reduced staffing, and maintained very high levels of employee satisfaction.

Also, they were able to maintain very high levels of customer satisfaction in an industry where customers were becoming increasingly dissatisfied.

In truth, wherever there is consistent wholehearted agreement, it's going to result in more efficient and effective operations. What policy, plan or interaction wouldn't benefit — and in most cases, benefit substantially — from the people involved being truly in agreement with it?

Even long-standing problems can quickly resolve with this perspective. An example of this is Dave's success story. Dave was a software developer for a company that made voice mail systems for hotels. Soon after he learned the perspective, he was able to successfully resolve years of deadlock between him and his company.

It's easy to think that it just wouldn't be possible to have wholehearted agreement with decisions and solutions when people's viewpoints are diverse. This is because it hasn't been a common experience.

It's also easy to think that it just wouldn't be possible to have wholehearted agreement in areas where it's been difficult to have agreement in the past. This is the perspective our students often begin their Key to Winning Program with.

Participants quickly learn during the program that this new perspective can produce wholehearted agreement where it wasn't possible before. It's not theoretical. During most of the program, participants are applying the perspective to their own business and personal lives.

From these real-life experiences, participants are able to learn for themselves that wholehearted agreement really is possible when people's viewpoints are diverse — that with this perspective, they really can wind up with wholehearted agreement instead of a compromise solution or disagreement.

This opens an entirely new realm of possibilities for them. They are able to dramatically increase the effectiveness of their initiatives, plans, and other solutions by creating them from this perspective.

Here's how one woman described her first experiences with the perspective in an e-mail to us during her program:

I love The Key to Winning! I was totally amazed by my experiences during the week.

Last week I had great interactions with all the people I practiced with.
Ronnis Oher, REO & Associates

Once a person learns this perspective, it tends to reinforce itself. This is because we retain, and deepen, the perspectives we value. With this perspective, students are getting much more agreement than they were before, and the agreement is producing much better outcomes.

Over the years a great deal of care has gone into the development of the perspective and The Key to Winning Program. We knew the discovery was important and we really wanted to get it right.

The perspective and the program were redesigned several times and then fine-tuned for years. As a result, virtually all of our students complete the program with gains that are truly significant.

For example, after Jerlene Wallace completed her program, she was successfully promoted from the part-time seasonal labor pool of a Cleveland department store (now Macy's) to Supervisor of Customer Service.

She had no applicable work experience, and had not applied for that job, or any other job at the store. When she asked, "Why me?," she was told that management's attention was drawn to her because she had the customer service and interpersonal skills they were looking for. In 2007, Jerlene was promoted again to a position in Human Resources.

What makes her story so remarkable is that before her program, Jerlene could have easily been described as a loner and somewhat rebellious. Today, she is an award winning, key member of Macy's Human Resources team.

Individuals in organizations are often concerned whether a program is going to be worth their time. Because of the years we invested in developing The Key to Winning, this doesn't have to be a concern. The way the program works, it would be very difficult for a participant to finish it and not have significant, sustainable benefits that they would truly value.

For example, here's an e-mail we received from a woman during her program who was certain, beforehand, that The Key to Winning wouldn't work for her.

I seem to be having really profound awarenesses and, indeed, a real shift in my frame of reference. Go figure!
Larissa Mulholland, Lecturer, Columbia College

Because participants are learning a new perspective, there are many surprises during the program. For instance, it's usually very surprising to them that in a difficult situation — when they are the only one with the perspective — they are able to bring to mind a solution that everyone involved can wholeheartedly agree with.

For example, in the following e-mail, this student was surprised that she was able to easily come up with solutions that were satisfying for two other people. Also notice what a quick and positive impact this new perspective was having on them.

At work, two people came to me asking my opinion on how to handle a difficult situation each was in. I made specific suggestions to find a way to come to a solution that would make all parties satisfied.

(I actually gave them some examples I thought might work.)

I could see their expressions change from frustration and negativity to ones of hopefulness and thoughtfulness.
Jamie Cummings, DLA Piper

In the case above, the participant used the perspective for two other people. The management team at Blue Cross Blue Shield used it for their division.

Wherever there is wholehearted agreement, it's going to result in a better outcome. This is why a few people with the perspective can have a significant impact on a division or organization.

During The Key to Winning Program, students develop an understanding that perspectives are fundamental to thinking — that when we change our perspective, it changes the information and solutions that come to mind.

When a person replaces a perspective with a more effective one, the improvement in the information and solutions coming to mind often produces a wide range of benefits.

For example, when participants learn the perspective that we've developed — in addition to being able to come up with solutions that everyone involved can wholeheartedly agree with — they are able to communicate with others more effectively.

Participants also find that it's easier to solve problems with this perspective. Thinking is clearer. Where all of the individuals in a group have this perspective, like the Blue Cross Blue Shield group, effective problem solving can often take a fraction of the time it did before.

Another important benefit we see with this perspective is that it significantly reduces or eliminates assumptions when people are making decisions or creating solutions.

From the viewpoint of this perspective, when a person doesn't know something with certainty, it is much more obvious to them. The logic of this perspective is to fill the gap with reliable information, instead of an assumption. It significantly increases the likelihood that decisions and solutions will have the effect that was intended.

Once a participant has the perspective, it gives them much more control of the outcome. The perspective smooths the way, even when there are strong competing interests and even where there's negativity. Unlike compromise solutions, wholehearted agreement draws people together.

The story that follows demonstrates this. And it also demonstrates how a person with the perspective can get a much better outcome in situations that have been historically difficult to manage.

Bill Farber is the Executive Vice President of Guaranty National Title, which specializes in commercial property transactions. About seventy percent of the company's business is routine — insuring title, and coordinating the buyers, sellers, borrowers, lenders and their respective attorneys to the close of escrow.

Bill is responsible for the transactions that are not routine — escrows that are difficult to complete because of issues with the elements of the transaction, issues insuring title, or issues with the parties.

The parties to these transactions can have very diverse agendas. And often they can be contentious in the pursuit of their interests. They may also have a history of negativity between them that could make it even more difficult to complete the escrow.

Revenues from these transactions are often lucrative, but Bill's company only earns a fee if the escrow closes. If Bill isn't able to come up with solutions that are acceptable to each of the parties, the transaction will collapse, disappointing his client, and costing his company a substantial fee.

Before his Key to Winning Program, Bill coordinated these transactions by skillfully looking for compromises. But when any of the parties were unwilling to compromise, it would cause the transaction to fail.

In his Key to Winning Program, Bill's viewpoint changed significantly, which changed the quality of the solutions he could bring to mind. Instead of compromises, he could bring to mind solutions that were truly satisfying to the people involved. With this perspective, he began to get much better outcomes from these difficult escrows.

More of the escrows were closing. And they were closing more easily, more harmoniously and with much more satisfaction among the parties.

As a result, Bill's company has increased its revenues from these transactions, reduced its risks, and has attracted more clients and more repeat business.

Also, Bill has been much more relaxed coordinating these difficult transactions: It's been an important gain for him. He's been more relaxed because he hasn't been relying on compromise solutions to solve complex issues with parties who have diverse agendas.

Instead, using the perspective, he's been able to bring to mind solutions that are much more of a fit for the parties, that are truly satisfying to them — solutions that draw them together and smooth the way for a successful outcome.

Overall, this perspective we've developed makes it possible to achieve an entirely new level of efficiency and effectiveness. It eliminates the many problems caused by compromise solutions and disagreements. It greatly increases the reliability of information, makes problem solving much easier, and has a very positive effect on group dynamics.

Another benefit to learning this perspective is that participants can begin using it immediately. As the perspective is forming during the program, new information and solutions are coming to mind, creating better outcomes. Because of the new information and solutions coming to mind, it's common for participants to report substantial gains in their business and personal lives during the program.

Probably the most important benefit we've seen from the perspective is that individuals, groups and organizations can move ahead and have gains without inducing protective responses.

These protective responses place limits on what we can achieve and increase the resources we require to achieve something. They increase assumptions and mistakes, affect enthusiasm and loyalty, and often spark competing interests and agendas. They impair thinking, the ability to be focused, and productivity.

These responses have been costly. For example, in the absence of these protective responses, the Blue Cross Blue Shield group was able to reduce the size of their division by 13 percent, maintain very high levels of employee satisfaction, and build customer satisfaction to an amazing 97 percent.

And they were getting these results even as the number of insureds they were servicing was growing rapidly.

Why does this perspective work so well? You can boil it down to this: From one perspective, the solution we come up with is a compromise. It's not truly a fit for everyone involved. From another perspective, the solution we come up with results in wholehearted agreement. It's a very different outcome.

It takes us to a new level. When there's wholehearted agreement, any objective is simpler and more efficient to achieve.

By successfully developing this perspective, we've made it possible for companies to eliminate many of the problems that commonly exist when a solution is required but the people involved have different experiences and points of view.

Just imagine what a positive effect it would have on your operations, teams, environments, product development, marketing, customers and suppliers if solutions could better embrace the diversity of viewpoints, and were more of a fit for the people involved.

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