Part B: Subheading Matching (2025)

Five Steps to Suggesting a Change at Work That’ll Actually Get Taken Seriously

Everyone wants to be that person—the one who looks at the same information as everyone else, but who sees a fresh, innovative solution. However, it takes more than simply having a good idea. How you share it is as important as the suggestion itself.

Why? Because writing a new script—literally or figuratively—means that other team members will have to adapt to something new. So whether you’re suggesting a (seemingly) benign change like streamlining outdated protocol, or a bigger change like adding an hour to each workday so people can leave early on Fridays, you’re asking others to reimagine their workflow or schedule. Not to mention, if the process you’re scrapping is one someone else suggested, there’s the possibility of hurt feelings.

To gain buy-in on an innovative, new idea, follow these steps:

41. ___________________

Great ideas don’t stand alone. In other words, you can’t mention your suggestion once and expect it to be adopted. To see a change, you’ll need to champion your plan and sell its merits. In addition, you need to be willing to stand up to scrutiny and criticism and be prepared to explain your innovation in different ways for various audiences.

42. ___________________

Sometimes it makes sense to go to your boss first. But other times, it’s useful to build a coalition among your co-workers or other stakeholders. When it works, it works great—because you’re ready for your stubborn supervisor’s pushback with answers like, “Actually, I connected with a few people in our tech department to discuss how much time these kinds of website updates would take, and they suggested they have the bandwidth.”

43. ___________________

One of the biggest barriers to gaining buy-in occurs when the owner of an idea is viewed as argumentative, defensive, or close-minded. Because, let’s be honest: No one likes a know-it-all. So, if people disagree with you, don’t be indignant. Instead, listen to their concerns fully, try to understand their perspective, and include their concerns (and possible remedies) in future discussions. So, instead of saying, “Martha, our current slogan is confusing and should be updated,” you could try, “Martha raises a great point that our current slogan has a long history for our stakeholders, but I wonder if we might able to brainstorm a tagline that could build on that—and be clearer for new customers.”

44. ___________________

New ideas are the grandchildren of old ones. In other words, don’t throw old solutions under the bus to make your improvement stand out. Remember that in light of whatever the problem the old system solved—or, maybe, has failed to solve in recent memory—it was a great idea at the time. Appreciating the older contributions as you suggest future innovations helps bolster the credibility of your idea.

45. ___________________

When pitching a new idea, it’s important to use the language of abundance instead of the language of deficit. Instead of saying what is wrong, broken, or suboptimal, talk about what is right, fixable, or ideal. For example, try, “I can see lots of applications for this new approach” rather than, “This innovation is the only way.” Be optimistic but realistic, and you will stand out.

Options

[A]Stay positive 

[B]Respect the past 

[C]Use channels 

[D]Give it time 

[E]Invite resistance 

[F]Be a salesman 

[G]Be humble 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

41. 对应 [F] Be a salesman (做个推销员)
【解析】段落中明确指出：“你不能只提一次建议就指望它被采纳……你需要拥护你的计划并推销它的优点（sell its merits）”，以及“准备好向不同受众以不同方式解释你的创新”。“推销（sell）”和向受众“解释”完全符合销售员（salesman）的行为特征。

42. 对应 [C] Use channels (利用渠道/建立人脉)
【解析】段落核心句建议：“在同事或其他利益相关者中建立联盟（build a coalition）是很有用的”。举例中提到：“实际上，我联系了技术部门的几个人（connected with a few people in our tech department）来讨论……”。建立联盟、联系其他部门，这就是在利用工作中的“渠道/人脉（channels）”。

43. 对应 [G] Be humble (保持谦虚)
【解析】段落开头指出，如果想法的提出者被视为好争辩的、防御心强的或固执己见的，就会遇到阻碍，“因为没有人喜欢万事通（a know-it-all）”。随后给出建议：“如果别人不同意，不要愤慨（don’t be indignant）。相反，要充分倾听他们的担忧，试着理解他们的视角（listen to their concerns fully, try to understand their perspective）”。不自以为是、倾听别人，这就是“谦虚（humble）”的表现。

44. 对应 [B] Respect the past (尊重过去)
【解析】段落首句直奔主题：“新想法是旧想法的孙子”。随后警告：“不要为了让自己的改进脱颖而出，就把旧的解决方案扔到车下（甩锅/全盘否定）”。最后一句总结：“在你提出未来创新时，赞赏旧有的贡献（Appreciating the older contributions）有助于增强你想法的可信度”。赞赏旧有贡献就是“尊重过去（Respect the past）”。

45. 对应 [A] Stay positive (保持积极)
【解析】段落中给出了一系列对比：“要使用充裕的语言，而不是匮乏的语言。与其说什么是错的、坏的、不理想的，不如谈论什么是对的、可修复的或理想的（what is right, fixable, or ideal）”。并在最后一句明确总结：“保持乐观但现实（Be optimistic but realistic）”。乐观、谈论好的方面，完全对应“保持积极（Stay positive）”。