LEADERSHIP
" AS A LEADER , IT ’ S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE HIGHER YOU GO IN THE ORGANIZATION , THE MORE YOU NEED TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE WINNERS AND NOT MAKE IT ABOUT WINNING YOURSELF ."
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classic problem of smart , successful people is Adding Too Much Value . This bad habit can be defined as the overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion . A slight variation on Winning Too Much , Adding Too Much Value is common among leaders who are used to running the show . It is extremely difficult for successful people to listen to other people tell them something that they already know without communicating somehow that ( a ) they already knew it and ( b ) they know a better way .
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH ADDING TOO MUCH VALUE ?
It would seem like it would be better for all concerned if our ideas were always improved upon . It ’ s not . Imagine an energetic , enthusiastic employee comes into your office with an idea . She excitedly shares the idea with you . You think it ’ s a great idea . Instead of saying , “ Great idea ,” you say , “ That ’ s a nice idea . Why don ’ t you add this to it ?” What does this do ? It deflates her enthusiasm ; it dampers her commitment . While the quality of the idea may go up 5 %, her commitment to execute it may go down 50 %. That ’ s because it ’ s no longer her idea , it ’ s now your idea .
EFFECTIVENESS OF EXECUTION = A ) QUALITY OF THE IDEA X B ) MY COMMITMENT TO MAKE IT WORK .
Effectiveness of execution is a function of a ) What is the quality of the idea ? times b ) What is my commitment to make it work ? Oftentimes , we get so wrapped up in trying to improve the quality of an idea a little that we damage their commitment to execute it a lot . As a leader , it ’ s important to recognize that the higher you go in the organization , the more you need to make other people winners and not make it about winning yourself .
I asked my coaching client J . P . Garnier , former CEO of the large pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmith Kline , “ What did you learn from me when I was your executive coach that helped you the most as a leader ?” He said , “ You taught me one lesson that helped me to become a better leader and live a happier life . You taught me that before I speak I should stop , breathe , and ask myself , ‘ Is it worth it ?’" He said that when he got into the habit of taking a breath before he talked , he realized that at least half of what he was going to say wasn ’ t worth saying . Even though he believed he could add value , he realized he had more to gain by not saying anything .
The flipside to this concept is that people often take leaders ’ suggestions as orders . I asked J . P , “ What did you learn about leadership as the CEO ?” He said , “ I learned a very hard lesson . My suggestions become orders . If they ’ re smart , they ’ re orders . If they ’ re stupid , they ’ re orders . If I want them to be orders , they are orders . And , if I don ’ t want them to be orders , they are orders anyway .”
For many years , I taught this to the students at the new admirals ’ school of the US Navy . The first thing I taught them was that as soon as they get their stars , their suggestions become orders . Admirals don ’ t make suggestions . If an admiral makes a suggestion , what is the response ? “ Sir , yes sir .” Their suggestions become orders .
What does this mean for leaders ? It means closely monitoring how you hand out encouragement and suggestions . If you find yourself saying , “ Great idea ,” and following it with “ But ,” or “ However ,” try cutting your response off at “ idea .” Even better , before you speak , take a breath and ask yourself if what you ’ re about to say is worth it . You may realize that you have more to gain by not winning ( adding value )! +
Dr . Goldsmith is the author or editor of 35 books , which have sold over two million copies , been translated into 30 languages and become bestsellers in 12 countries . His two other New York Times bestsellers are MOJO and What Got You Here Won ’ t Get You There .
Marshall ’ s professional acknowledgments include : Harvard Business Review and Best Practices Institute – World ’ s # 1 Leadership Thinker , Global Gurus , INC and Fast Company magazines – World ’ s # 1 Executive Coach , Institute for Management Studies – Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching , American Management Association - 50 great thinkers and leaders who have influenced the field of management over the past 80 years , BusinessWeek – 50 great leaders in America , Wall Street Journal – top ten executive educators , Economist ( UK ) – most credible executive advisors in the new era of business , National Academy of Human Resources – Fellow of the Academy ( America ’ s top HR award ), World HRD Congress ( India ) – global leader in HR thinking . His work has been recognized by almost every professional organization in his field .
Three of his books have been American Library Association – Choice Award winners for best academic business books of the year .
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