Pick Your Battles: How Strong Leaders Focus on What Matters Most
You’re the boss. You know best. And you’re willing to fight to the death to prove it, right? Wrong. Effective leaders know that, as the popular country song goes, “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em”. While it’s good to have a point of view, it’s simply not productive to try and win every point or argument.
True, we are taught to win from an early age — and that’s okay unless it’s taken to an extreme. Try and win every argument, at any cost, and you’ll be viewed as an inflexible leader who doesn’t value other opinions and ideas. Instead, try changing up your position or simply agree to disagree (no whining, grunting, or anger allowed). What’s more, don’t focus on who is right, but what is right. That’s what successful leaders do. There’s a popular children’s book called “No No Yes Yes,” which highlights yes and no behaviors. Here are a few yes and no behaviors related directly to picking your battles:
No No… thinking it’s your way or the highway. It will build enemies at work, crush employee morale, squelch candid communication, corrode company culture, and keep you stuck in a rut — believing you’re the only one who understands the business. You’re simply not.
True, you might know everything there is to know about a particular product or industry, but you might not be the best at knowing how to market a gizmo or position it within your industry. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. You, too.
…being right all the time. Divorce your ego and learn to laugh at your mistakes, errors, or misunderstandings. Make a point to show your human side by letting people know when you weren’t 100 percent right about something. Sure, we all want to do our jobs well, but it’s simply not possible all the time. Good leaders can admit they are wrong, look beyond themselves for answers, and then move on.
Yes Yes… opening the floor for debate. Healthy, heated discussions can be fruitful — as long as no one is hurling grapes. If you’re afraid everyone will go bananas during a healthy debate, you might need a better facilitator (such as your MAP consultant), or you may need to evaluate the rules of engagement. Don’t be fearful of strong discussions — they’re great for bonding, team building, and cultivating strong ideas that can lead to profit, growth, and other rewards.
…addressing know-it-alls on the team. There’s always someone who loves to hear themselves talk and be right. Allowing them to hog the floor can be a real time-waster and team-buster, even if they’re sometimes right.
If that’s you, pipe down, pace your comments, and listen.
If it’s someone else, encourage them to do the same. Have a candid conversation and ask them to help create guidelines that promote listening more and talking less during group discussions (that means more than one person!).
…going to bat for someone or something. If you’ve learned to pick your battles, you’ll be far more successful in getting the results you want and deserve. As MAP regularly suggests, focus on the vital few instead of the trivial many.
Got another No No or Yes Yes to add?
