Quote of the day: raise employees’ game, not defenses
Thursday, November 26th, 2009You want to challenge people to get them to raise their game, as opposed to criticizing them, which makes them raise their defenses.
William D. Green, chairman and C.E.O. of Accenture, as interviewed by the New York Times, November 22, 2009.
Mr. Green makes a good point, one that also has valuable implications for managing legal risk and legal costs.
According to Green, caring is one of the most important traits a business leader can possess. ”Nothing today is about one individual,” he says. “[It's] all about the team, and in the end, this is about giving a damn about your customers, your company, the people around you, and recognizing that the people around you are the ones who make you look good.”
It therefore helps to remember that when employees raise an issue or identify a concern, they are trying to help you and the company. They do it because they care and want to do a good job for you.
On the other hand, employees whose defenses are raised typically don’t voice issues or concerns. Their top priority is making sure they don’t get blamed for problems, not helping to avoid them. As a result the flow of meaningful information is choked and problems, including legal issues, surface only when they’re too big to hide.
Listening and caring lets you make small course corrections that sidestep liability in the fraction of the time and cost it takes to make a macro course correction later. Best of all, by raising your employees’ game you’ll also raise your company’s performance.
Copyright © 2009 Corporate M.O., LLC
