I recently stumbled upon the most incredible organic corn tortillas.
I heated up my trusty cast iron pan, placed the tortilla on it, and covered it with my cast iron teapot. Minutes later, she emerged perfectly puffed, fragrant, and boasting an irresistible texture. Pure deliciousness.
But despite these tortillas’ culinary perfection, they fell short when teamed up with a lackluster eggplant dip. The dip jar was fancy and had a label proclaiming “Mediterranean Smokey Eggplant Dip.”
Intrigued, I flipped it over to discover the list of ingredients: “roasted eggplant, salt.” This dip tasted more like slimy, seedy smoke—not precisely the flavor explosion I was hoping for. While I thought this dip could be a solid base for a great baba ganoush, as a standalone dip, nope, no bueno.
As I lamented to my friend, who was eagerly awaiting a dipping experience, I couldn’t help but draw parallels to leadership and influence.
Many leaders possess brilliant ideas, extensive experience, and expertise in their field—essentially, a solid base.
However, presenting these ideas to their teams or higher-ups often results in puzzled expressions, much like our reaction to the disappointing dip.
Why?
Because they fail to complete the recipe for effective persuasion.
I’m not suggesting hours spent perfecting PowerPoint presentations (trust me, we’re all guilty of that). Rather, it’s about taking the time to understand what truly motivates your audience beyond surface assumptions.
Yes, it’s a longer process.
Yes, gathering the right data for your audience and presenting it thoughtfully requires effort.
But failing to do so can leave you as bland as our ill-fated dip.
And that’s a missed opportunity, especially when your idea could have been as perfect as the tortilla combo.
You’ve got this!
With love,
Mari Carmen
