I felt I was having a “nails-on-the-chalkboard” experience. The consultant from ABC Company had just completed an excellent 10-minute presentation of his firm’s six-month project (to recommend how to improve XYZ Company’s overall brand). A prolonged discussion followed as a few of the XYZ Company executives shared their opinions regarding colors on a brochure, lettering, blah, blah, blah… I took a few deep breaths to restore the calm objectivity that any coach needs to diagnose a situation accurately. On my third inhalation, it hit me! Oh my, now I know what’s wrong with this picture.
Any ideas?
I think there were two major problems that reared their head during this meeting – one of focus, the other of weight.
I. Leadership Means Saying No
One of the primary roles of any executive body (e.g., executive team at XYZ Company, program leadership teams, city councils…) is to provide focus. This is the reason Steve Jobs conducted a yearly retreat with Apple’s 100 top executives, during which Jobs forced them to select their top 10 priorities for the coming year. He ended the retreat by crossing out seven of their 10, declaring that “these top three” would receive the resources and support of the organization.
During my retreat with XYZ Company executives three months earlier, I employed the force-choice-priority-indicator to help them select their top three priorities. Brochure colors and font sizes did NOT make the list.
Leadership (at home and at work) means saying NO to many things so you can say YES to the few that matter most. What is on your “NOT to do list” and your top three priority list?
II. Treating Everyone Equally Is Not Fair
When XYZ Company executives started “over-sharing” their opinion about the brochure colors and other micro issues, I thought my head would explode. Yet the patient consultant responded to all of their comments by calmly stating that, “Our business is branding. It’s what we do. We followed industry best practices for your project. We urge you to accept our recommendations.” Precisely, I thought to myself, this consultant from ABC Company IS the expert.
How often have you been in conversations where others are sharing their opinion on issues that you are the expert on? I hear this “equal voice fallacy” all the time. For example, a few weeks ago, a leader I coach told me that he was in a meeting with two colleagues discussing a complex software problem. At the end of the meeting, they decided to move ahead with a solution that the leader did not agree with because he, the leader, had been “outvoted” 2 to 1. During my next coaching call with this leader I pointed out that his two colleagues’ opinions should not have counted as much as his on this particular topic because he was the software expert, not the other two.
Sometimes the votes are formal, but most of the time they are not. Yet, my experience is that when the majority of people express an opinion (during meetings, conversations…), decisions often go their way WITHOUT considering expertise – the wood behind the arrow’s tip.
Of course, we should always treat others and their opinions with a great deal of respect. In addition, we should always feel free to challenge and question so-called experts. Nevertheless, to make excellent decisions, it’s critical to remember that just as a good parent shouldn’t give equal weight to a child’s input on a difficult issue (e.g., which elementary school to go to), leaders need to weigh the votes during meetings not just count them. Not all contributions and opinions are of equal merit.
How do you stay focused on priorities throughout your day? How do you evaluate people’s opinions in a respectful manner? Let me know, I’d love to hear your perspective.
Keep stretching when you’re pulled,
Dave
Dave Jensen helps leaders manage ambiguity, gain buy-in to any change, improve decision-making, and achieve difficult goals in today’s complex, competitive, and conflicting environment. For a FREE Chapter or to purchase his newly released groundbreaking book that helps executives and managers develop business-boosting skills, The Executive’s Paradox – How to Stretch When You’re Pulled by Opposing Demands, visit http://davejensenonleadership.com/
I completely agree. Just as not all employees contribute equally, not all opinions matter equally. A good leader should be able to understand very quickly as to who are the high performers and subject experts in the team and accordingly weigh their opinions and recommendations.
Thanks for your thoughts Nehal,
I know it sounds like common sense, but ‘weighing’ opinions based on expertise is not common practice. I’ve been in several meetings the last few months where the leaders offered their strong (and wrong) opinions re issues (e.g., leadership). The saddest part is when they get support from their equally uneducated (on the topic of leadership) colleagues, they often fall into group think. This leads to poor decisions.
Thanks again for your comments,
Dave