I once knew a General Manager who always let everyone know he was the smartest person in the room. After a while it got to the point that he was the only one talking: his managers stopped making recommendations or seeking advice, they stopped thinking creatively or planning strategically, and they deferred every question or problem to him. Basically, they just nodded their heads at whatever he said, and behind his back rolled their eyes and stopped trying. Although he was technically a pretty smart guy, he couldn’t do it all, and performance began to suffer: but he kept telling himself and everyone else how much he knew. As it often happens, he self-destructed: his replacement had lived thru that era and was promoted from within. It took a while, but the new guy convinced his team to stop telling him what they thought he wanted to hear, and to begin telling him the truth. Not surprisingly, morale, creativity and performance bounced back. Let your team tell you the truth today.
Eric D. Thomas, Ph.D. (b. 1970): American motivational speaker, author and minister.
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