1. Linkups Create Alignment Faster

Without a clear and explicit Linkup, it can be easy to make progress toward different goals. For example, you might have three people on your team planning a conference. Without a Linkup, one person might be planning a conference that's as inexpensive as possible, another looking to drive the most attendance possible, and yet another hustling to bring in as much revenue as possible. While on the surface this sounds like the best conference ever (cheap, popular, and lucrative), in reality, this team will likely achieve small wins in several areas rather than a big win in the area that matters most. We hesitate to use the old “rowing in the same direction” analogy, but it's a good one when you consider the chaos that ensues when everyone is splashing in different directions. To create alignment faster, this team should discuss why they're planning a conference and how they'll measure success.

A related payoff of Linking up is that it can shine a light on people's assumptions about the best way to achieve a result. Contrary to these authors’ occasional power fantasies, when we say “jump” we do not want our team members asking “How high?” Instead, we want them asking “What are you looking to achieve by having us jump?” and even “What are some alternatives to jumping that might be better?” Perhaps a much better solution is to climb a ladder or even hire a jumping intern.

2. Linkups Enable Autonomy

Managers who only focus on the “what” without the “why” tend to become increasingly frustrated and wind up frustrating others. They answer dozens of “quick” questions about anything they assign, correcting (read: redoing) people's work, losing talented team members who get sick of being told what to do, and earning a reputation for being micromanagers. By contrast, managers who regularly Linkup give their team members autonomy to solve their own problems.

For example, if your team members know that the conference they're planning Linkups to increasing sales leads by 20% (while keeping conference costs below $100K), they can make decisions on their own without constantly checking in with you about everything from ticket costs to napkin colors. The Linkup becomes the ultimate guide for decision-making rather than the manager. What's the impact of greater autonomy? Increased speed and higher engagement.

3. Linkups Get You Buy-in Faster

The Linkup BU also serves as fuel for increasing people's willingness to commit to your request faster. In a classic study by Ellen Langer and team (1978) – conducted back when copying machines were a thing in every college student's life – the research team shut down all copying machines in the university library except for one, in a devilish scheme to create a long queue. Next, a research assistant attempted to cut in line using one of three requests:

1. “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?”
2. “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies?”
3. “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I'm in a rush?”

Which of the conditions above would you expect to lead to better compliance? Check out the results below, showing the percentage of people who said yes:

1. 60%
2. 93%
3. 94%

Notice that even when the reasoning behind the request was weak (what else can you do with a copying machine except make copies?!), the “yes rate” skyrocketed. Making a request without a Linkup resulted in a compliance rate that is barely higher than a coin toss. Adding a simple “because” led to nearly perfect compliance. We aren't suggesting that you leverage these research findings by sharing vague Linkups (“Please plan a conference because I'd like us to have a conference”) but because we want to remind you of the power of because. When people understand what's on top of that triangle, they make better decisions and are more motivated to take action.

Just as with other BUs we've shared with you so far, the Linkup comes in several flavors. Here are some examples:

The only common Linkup question that doesn't consistently produce good results is “why?” There is something about that “why” question that tends to trigger defensiveness and signal judgment rather than authentic curiosity. Even hostage negotiators deliberately avoid why questions (Voss and Raz 2016). See if you can sense the difference between the original conversation, followed by Mia's quick Do-Over:

Better yet, in Version 2, Mia could have also thrown in a Validation, especially if Olivia seemed hesitant to share the idea. Depending on the culture of the team and their level of confidence and trust, a “why” question might work just as well, but a different Linkup question is less likely to invite self-doubt and defensiveness.

Linking up can act as a “pull” mechanism, drawing out people's reasoning by asking Linkup questions. And of course, it can also serve a “push” function, giving people access to the “why” behind your messages. Let's sit in on Mia's first conversation with her new hire, Kofi. See how it goes when the Linkup is lost in their first conversation:

This is not a bad onboarding conversion. But it's not great. Mia misses out on opportunities to give Kofi context, clarity, and motivation for the work. She can sense it almost as soon as the conversation gets going, so Mia hits the Do-Over Button and tries again:

***

In summary: Link up to a why whenever they make a request, set a goal, delegate, or give feedback. Ask Linkup questions whenever the link is unclear. For example: “What does this link up to?” Not only do great managers share Linkups and ask Linkup questions of others, but we were surprised to see that these managers often asked Linkup questions of themselves. For example, several managers we interviewed had the habit of asking, “Why am I doing this right now?” At times, our behavior can be just as puzzling to us as other people's actions. Linking up helps us reorient and make the best use of our time. Speaking of which, what's your Linkup for reading this book?

MY LAB REPORT	Today's Date:
My takeaways:
I regularly share and ask for Linkups:	1   2    3     4     5 6     7     8     9    10 (strongly disagree)(strongly agree)
Experiment idea bank:	If I delegate, then I'll Link up to the goal. If I give feedback, then I'll share the impact. If someone makes a suggestion, then I'll ask a Linkup question.
One small experiment I'll try to increase my score by 1 point:
Post-experiment Learning Extractions:

Bonus: Want to take your manager skills to the next level? Check out the bonus Inclusion Stations at leaderlab.lifelabslearning.com.