I was driving the other day, catching up on some old Alan Weiss recordings (yep, I upload them into my own private podcast feed so I actually listen to them instead of letting them die in a Dropbox folder).One simple but powerful Consulting 101 lesson hit me right between the eyes again: define your Min and Max before every conversation.Alan calls it MinMax — your minimum measure of success and your maximum. It sounds obvious, but most of us don’t do it. We just show up to a meeting thinking it’s win/lose, binary. Either they ask for a quote = win, or they don’t = lose. But there are so many other outcomes that count as success — building rapport, identifying the economic buyer, getting a referral, or just knowing the next step.Here’s the kicker: without those guardrails, you can’t really steer the conversation. Alan uses the metaphor of a boat in a channel — the tides and winds (aka other people’s agendas) will push you off course unless you’re steering deliberately.This applies everywhere: prospect calls, stakeholder meetings, even internal conversations. When you set your MinMax, you shift from “that was a waste of time” to “that was a success on the continuum.”I’ll be sharing this idea in a workshop later this week, but wanted to remind myself (and you!) here first.✨ In this episode:Why “binary wins” set you up for disappointmentAlan Weiss’ MinMax framework explainedPractical examples you can apply to client calls and team meetingsHow to steer conversations back on track without being pushySign up for free for my best articles every week: Work Fame.Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.comP.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help:Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint. Let's connect on all the channels:Leanne Hughes on LinkedInLeanne Hughes on InstagramVisit my website: leannehughes.comEmail me: [email protected] you like to deliver your own private podcast feed to your audience? Sign up for a free trial today at Hello Audio.

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