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Case Study: Countering social scalping and tasking – ‘ I’m more on the business side’
Situation:
Some business analyst or manager meets you for the first time. IT works for business so by saying they are business and you’re technical they are saying you they are king you are peasant and they can task you. 'Technical' also carries that sniff of low EQ to most people.
What happened:
Social Scalper(SS) – What was your background before you came here?
T - I worked on blah blah project in blah blah industries.
SS – I’ve worked more on the business side
SS – so you’re quite technical
T – Your right I do work across business and tech. The business want people who can find solutions and of course it’s a digital world.
Social Scalper – excellent I’ll come to you with any questions I have on the technical side.
Transitioned – Always happy to help when priorities allow. If you’ve got technical questions I can connect you with somebody on my team.
Analysis:
Objectives – push back on their your below me (not one of us) frame and sidestep being tasked.
It is a bit of a ‘shock and awe’ attack too as belittling your background is belittling you
Most of the time I work for IT and whatever you say your background is they will try and frame you as ‘technical’ or 'backend' or 'administrative' as that is their power move.
Countering:
Go higher – I provide solutions not bits of solutions – you can’t put me in a box.
‘Digital’ is like the flag and apple pie in IT – you have to be on its side.
Sidestep the tasking – I set my priorities – I’m a conduit and an organiser (leader) not your bitch.
General Application:
I know this could sound specific to my role and industry. However, I think it’s a generic frame dominating attack to put you on the back foot from the first meeting. E.g. You say your background is in small places – they’ll say they come from the top end of town or are used to working in bigger teams.
E.g. you work in finance and they work in marketing they’ll say that its all about the customer these days (implying you’re just an administrative bean counter). These people have been doing this their whole lives believe me they can adapt their attack.
Loved this.
Throwing some ideas that might or might not apply (in blue):
Quote from Transitioned on December 18, 2021, 4:55 amSocial Scalper(SS) – What was your background before you came here?
What I often try to do here is to keep my answers short and then turn it right back.
That's to avoid that one, you expend too much effort, and two, that it turns into a dynamic of then asking/assessing (and judging), and you replying/qualifyingT - I worked on blah blah project in blah blah industries.
SS – I’ve worked more on the business side
SS – so you’re quite technical
T – Your right I do work across business and tech. The business want people who can find solutions and of course it’s a digital world.
I might have swapped "you're right" with "well, I do.. ".
It's a stronger way to invalidate his frame as you being "technical" and at his disposal.
I might have swapped "the businesss wants" with "the business needs", which empowers your role as the frame is that they need you.The "of course it's a digital world" was very good.
Social Scalper – excellent I’ll come to you with any questions I have on the technical side.
Transitioned – Always happy to help when priorities allow. If you’ve got technical questions I can connect you with somebody on my team.
Just perfect as it is
Just some light changes, overall this was really good.
Brilliant those little tweaks make it much more effective.
I ve been collecting these scenarios over the lockdowns. They didn't all happen to me but I ve seen them first hand happen to someone.
