When dealing with people, I should sometimes aim for the heart, not the mind. Logic works, but only after building trust. Especially at work, and especially with senior colleagues who have strong opinions. For me they are principal engineers, managers, or other directors. Wife may be included here too.

Unless they trust me, they wouldn’t listen to what I’m saying. And unless I gain their heart and trust, I won’t be able to influence them. To get anyone to listen, I first need to get them to trust that I’m on their side. That whatever I’m talking about or proposing is for their own benefit, not mine.

What I say doesn’t always matter. How I say it matters more. I sometimes feel that I get too logical way too early in the conversation. I learned this the hard way and I need to remind myself of this. You can never get to people by logic alone.