I am reading a wonderful book that I think all smart managers should read: “What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful” by Marshall Goldsmith
As a well known coach to successful senior level executives – including a number of high profile CEOs, Goldsmith identifies some of the most common “career halting” behaviors that even the smartest managers and executives make.
Addressing these not only helps managers/executives become even more successful, they obviously enable them to optimize the commitment, morale, and performance of their teams. So recognizing and changing these is a real win/win/win.
The smarter a person is and the stronger their personality, the more likely they are to unwittingly make these mistakes.
Here are 2 of the 21 Goldsmith identifies:
Adding “too much value” – This is hard when you’re an expert in your field. Here’s a common scenario… a young employee, full of enthusiasm, comes to her manager with a new idea. The manager, a seasoned pro, says “That’s a great idea... here’s what you can do to make it work even better.”
He thinks he’s adding value by providing a refinement – a “tweak”. While his tweak might make the idea a bit better, what it does to the employee’s commitment and morale more than offsets that improvement. Haven’t you had that experience with bosses of yours?
In the words of Goldsmith:
“Maybe you improved her original idea by 10% but you reduced her commitment by 50% or more. She no longer feels pride of ownership and this is what is reflected in the lackluster follow on performance.”
Failure to express gratitude – I see this as one of the most common morale-damaging practices in most organizations. According to a
Some of the most poignant stories I’ve heard over the years from frontline employees and supervisors is how they’ve felt taken for granted when they’ve sacrificed for their employer – and how that affects their commitment and respect for their employer.
This reoccurring theme, plus the research makes me believe that SINCERELY expressing appreciation is one of the biggest “engagement bang for the buck” actions any manager can take. (Speaking of engagement, remember
If you want to hear an interview with Dr. Goldsmith, it’s at:
http://800ceoread.com/podcasts/archives/006793.html
If you want whitepapers on his findings:
http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/docs/press/WBA_WGYH_pt1.pdf
http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/docs/press/WBA_WGYH_pt2.pdf
Also, if you want more practical ideas on how to bring out the best in people, you might like this article I wrote recently:
“Want to Be a "Super Supervisor"?: Here are 11 Things You Can Do
