How to Kill Initiative 1
by Miki Saxon
“What’s more important to you, being right or winning?”
That is what I asked a caller today.
“Frank” has been sequestered on jury duty for several weeks and when he returned to work he found that right after he left his team was assigned a new project and they were just finishing.
Frank said that the project had gone well, was on time and in budget, but he was upset that they had used a different approach from the one he preferred.
That’s when I asked, “What’s more important to you, being right or winning?”
You’d think that was an easy answer, but I was met first with silence and then with multiple reasons proving his approach was better.
He agreed that on time/in budget was a win, but still felt they should have done it his way.
So I ask you, “What’s more important, being right or winning?”
Image credit: immrchris on sxc.hu
February 12th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Miki,
Being right used to be my bag! Now I’m into winning. I never saw how much my arguments and anger were about my desire to be right until I decided to let go and really delegate. Then it hit me that I’d wasted tons of time and mountains of energy fighting a dragon I should have released.
Now I’m a cheerleader.
http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/cheerleaders/
Thanks again,
Leadership Freak
Dan Rockwell
February 14th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Hi Dan, Congratulations! You’ve learned a definitely better late than never lesson that many never do wrap their heads around.