Thursday, February 26

The problem with value adding

Adding to Marshall's theories, value adding by superiors can also pose as an obstacle to process improvements.

This is pretty new to me, since I thought value adding is always a good thing.

Say you are a boss, and your subordinate comes in with a brilliant suggestion. In order to show how "smart" you are (see previous post), you end up saying "This is a good idea, but it could have been better if...."

On one hand, it may sound like the 2 of you have now make a great idea, but what happens is that by adding your 5% input, you have unknowingly weakened his "ownership" of the idea by 50%. When his idea becomes "your" idea, he becomes less enthusiastic to implement it.

And the result becomes less ideal as compared to you just saying "That's a good idea. Please proceed to carry it out."

"But" and "However" are killer words.

Saying "This is a good idea, but it could have been better if...."
is equivalent to saying
"The idea is not good. Let me tell you what you should do instead...."

Sometimes losing a little will make you gain much more.
If only you can learn to talk less and listen more.
And stopped showing how smart you are.

About the Author: Shingo T should stop writing about Marshall's ideas, lest he kenna a copyright lawsuit. So go get your copy now, all you low EQ managers.

11 comments:

khengsiong said...

Guess the bosses of my company should read Marshall's book, haha...

Cherish Tulips said...

I think those sentences starting with a praise then followed by..but and however is just how we in business/corporate communicate and get things done professionally.

Shingo T said...

khengsiong:
Haha. My ex-bosses too. =p

Cherish Tulips:
Agreed. It all goes down to how the boss word his replies without making it look like he is stealing his subordinate's ideas.

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