I just saw this video where the world’s best coach (arguably) shares his advice on trying to add too much value to a conversation or a relationship is not always a good thing.
Firstly, take the 4 minutes and watch the video:
There are three things that I liked in the video:
Quality of an Idea Vs Execution of the idea
There are two things to consider in a situation when someone comes to you with an idea – the quality of the idea and the commitment to execution of the idea. Most times, we end up trying to improve the quality of the idea but end up significantly reducing the commitment to execution of the idea.
I am much too guilty of doing this on many occasions. Truth be told, I still err on this one. I have a personality that makes it natural for me to add new ideas or suggestions to make anything better. Looking back, I realise that this habit or tendency to suggest ideas has been the single biggest contributor to my overall effectiveness.
Suggestions and Commands
The higher you go in the organisation, the more it is likely that our suggestion will become an order, irrespective of the quality of the suggestion. When this starts happening, we need to stop ourselves and think if it is worth it? How sure are we? Is this the best thing that i can say in order to have the best outcome possible?
As Marshall says, in a professional setting, most of the times, the answer is no. In a personal setting, almost every time, the answer is no.
In conclusion:
In order to know if something is worth it or not, we need to know what is it that we are striving toward? What is worth it? Once we have this level of clarity on life and business, we can easily decide if our intervention is worth it.
As Marshall points out, breathe before you speak. And in that moment of taking a breath, reflect on the following question before taking any action or making any suggestion:
Is it Worth It?
