Right versus _____________________________ (you fill in the blank with anything you think is important). My favorite is "right versus rich". I see it every hour of every day. We all do it.
For some reason we are wired to want to be right; do we think it somehow assures our survival... that people will think better of us (that one falls short on any level of inspection)... that we can somehow "carry the day" if we are "RIGHT"?
Must be so. Once you start to look it is everywhere. So what does this have to do with performance?
Everything. Right versus Powerful. Powerful in this case means moving things forward. Often when you are right you also kill the discussion... afterall, you are right. Everything stops. Nobody else can make a contribution now. Make a habit of being "Right" and nobody will bother... afterall you are going to be right no matter what they will conclude.
Pushed too far people will start finding ways to prove to you that you are not right afterall. It really doesn't matter if you really are right if your being "RIGHT" makes them feel or be wrong; they will still look for every opportunity to help you get what they think you deserve.
Right is, after all, just a little subjective don't you think. One of the things I have found is that especially when you feel like you are absolutely "RIGHT", if you can allow for the possibility that what you are saying is just one possibility and ask what others think... you might find that people won't resist what you are saying and will actually give you the credit for your perspective that you secretly so desperately (and rightfully) want.
Being powerfus versus right is one of the great secrets of great leaders... in my opinion. For more on this you might check out www.perormanceleadershipgroup.com late this fall when their new site is up. I have heard some rumors that they will have some great information about this concept and many others.
If anyone out there has any other sites that they know of that addresses this concept I would appreciate a post to that effect.
Cheers,
Eric
