As one of America’s preeminent executive coaches, Marshall Goldsmith is one of but a few consultants who have been asked to work with more than eighty CEOs in the world’s top companies. I met him a few years ago—this is an excerpt from his newest, just-released book:
“That’s the problem with adding too much value. Imagine you’re the CEO. I come to you with an idea that you think is very good. Rather than just pat me on the back and say, “Great idea!” your inclination (because you have to add value) is to say, “Good idea, but it’s be better if you tried it this way..”
The problem is, you may have improved the content of my idea by 5%, but you’ve reduced my commitment to executing it by 50%, because you’ve taken away my ownership of the idea. My idea is now your idea—and I walk out of your office less enthused about it than when I walked in. That’s the fallacy of added value. Whatever we gain in the form of a better idea is lost many times over in our employees’ diminished commitment to the concept.”
2 users commented in " Marshall Goldsmith’s New Book: “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” "
Sounds like an interesting book and I plan to check it out.
But I see another side to the story in your excerpt: Do today’s young employees have problems accepting constructive criticism? I think they do. This is a generalization, of course, but it seems they’ve been “coddled” all their lives… by their parents, their teachers, their soccer coaches. When they finally get out into the real world, they are shocked at the “unfair” treatment when they don’t get their way… or when a superior “corrects” their performance.
Should today’s CEO’s join the parents, teachers and coaches by putting more emphasis on sparing employee’s feelings rather than doing what’s necessary for his/her learning, development & ultimate improvement?
Perhaps Goldsmith’s book addresses this in some way. If not, don’t you think it should?
All too often I think people assume that the younger generations have been hand held all their lives and “coddled”. We also make the assumption that the “real world” and unfair treatment are the best ways to develop employees and improve their performance. While is some cases this may be true, but unfair treatment is unfair treatment regardless of generation or age. Telling and directing are useless in an age where collaboration and true employee involvement should take priority. Constructive criticism can come in many forms, but hopefully it is useful feedback that is related to performance as demonstrated by behaviors.
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