Be polite Above all, be polite. If you are anything less than polite, it's probably because you've allowed yourself to get emotional. Regardless of the reason, a failure to be polite is a failure to be respectful. If you don't treat others with respect, chances are others will not treat you with respect, either. Politeness is a form of respect you should practice with everyone, but if you fail to practice it with your superiors, especially when presenting a new idea, you probably won't get the results you desire. Be succinct Managers don't have a lot of free time, and any time they devote to you and your ideas should be used thoughtfully. They'll be looking for a summary of your idea and the benefits it offers. Once they're interested, you will be able to go into detail, but you have to start with the sales pitch. If your idea is valid, you will have plenty of time to expound on the details later. Chapter 41: Avoiding Frustration Understand the shortcomings of your ideas No ideas are perfect. If you don't know the possible arguments against your idea, someone else will produce them. Chances are they'll assault you with them during your presentation. A professional knows the limitations and shortcomings of his ideas and has answers prepared when questioned about them. This point is SO frequently missed that you can often make a big impact with ex- ecutives just by addressing their questions before they have a chance to ask them. Accept "no" as an answer Don't whine or complain if the answer is "no." This would be unprofessional and would further discourage management from considering your ideas in the future. Sometimes there is not enough funding or the timing is not right. Sometimes the answer will be "no" for reasons that you cannot be told. Regardless of the reasons, accepting defeat gracefully will add credence to your next request. It is perfectly permissible to ask why your idea was rejected, but don't press the point. Escalate Sometimes when you propose an idea to your manager, you get the brush-off. Maybe 