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Hook
Grace Hopper's advice on dealing with stubborn bosses was to gaslight them...
@oddsontechnology
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Why it worked
The video uses a compelling, high-authority historical figure to provide a counter-intuitive and slightly mischievous 'hack' for corporate navigation, which is highly relatable and shareable.
Summary
The video features a historical clip of Grace Hopper explaining her clever strategy for getting stubborn bosses to approve new ideas. She describes how she would plant a seed of an idea and then present a thick, impressive-looking report as if the boss had requested it.
Structure
- 1Introduction to Grace Hopper's advice
- 2The strategy of planting an idea
- 3The follow-up with a fake report
- 4The psychological trick of the 'thud'
- 5Conclusion on the effectiveness of the method
On-screen text
Grace Hopper's advice on dealing with stubborn bosses was to gaslight them...
Transcript
If I had not believed in microcomputers, what I do is meeting some morning at the water cooler, the coffee pot or somewhere like that and say, aren't microcomputers nice? Then get away from that, don't let him say anything. Then a week later I'd knock on the door of his office and in my hand I'd have a report. Now it must be definitely over an inch thick. An inch and an eighth will do, but it'll be definitely over an inch. And I'd say, here is the report that you asked for on microcomputers. Now he won't remember asking for a report on microcomputers because he didn't. But he'll look at that thing, he'll immediately recognize that you never in the world would have done all that work if he hadn't told you to. So he'll assume that he did. Look at it. You can pad the gist of your arguments in about the first four or five pages. You can pad the back of it with Xerox copies of articles and that sort of thing. Just make sure it makes a very good thud when it hits the desk. You've accomplished two things. You've made him think that the request for new
Original caption
Follow us @oddsontechnology for more tech archives and tech videos. Every corporate employee needs to hear Grace Hopper’s advice on dealing with stubborn bosses. Long before workplace books and leadership seminars, Grace Hopper had already mastered the art of getting new ideas approved. If her boss dismissed microcomputers, she’d casually mention them, disappear for a week, then return with a report over an inch thick and say, “Here’s the report you asked for.” Chances were, they’d assume it was their idea all along. Known as the “Queen of Code,” Hopper pioneered modern computer programming, developed one of the first compilers, and helped shape COBOL, one of history’s most influential programming languages. Her greatest lesson wasn’t just about writing code—it was understanding that changing minds is often the hardest part of innovation. [ keywords: Grace Hopper, Queen of Code, COBOL, compiler, computer programming, software engineering, computer science, programming languages, microcomputers, innovation, leadership, workplace psychology, Harvard Mark I, UNIVAC, Rear Admiral, women in STEM, computing history, technology pioneers, Silicon Valley, tech history ] #GraceHopper #Coding #Programming #ComputerScience #SoftwareEngineering
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