The man I'm in love with is author Marshall Goldsmith who wrote the leadership book "What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful".
Okay, you "I-won't-be-caught-dead-reading-a-business-book"-types, please go with me here, for a couple of minutes . . .
Just 40 pages into this tome, Marshall unleashes the big guns, his list of the 20 Bad Habits: Challenges to Interpersonal Behavior.
Wow! My crush began right there. This stuff is GOOD and it goes BEYOND the workplace.
So, indulge me. Take a minute now and LOOK at that list. I'll be right here when you're finished. Then, we'll talk.
Okay, finished? Was your first reaction the same as mine? When I first read that list, I cringed because I've been guilty of ALL of those behaviors at one point or another. Ugh. That hurt!
Next, it HIT me that it's a shame that this is a "Business" book because, I really wished some of my creative associates and non-Corporate associates would read this book and we could all take a look at how we interact with one another.
Further DEEPENING my crush on Marsh (my pet name for him) was his advice on how to avoid MOST of this behavior. His advice didn't involve anything tricky at all. In fact, in most cases, the way to remedy this behavior is to STOP TALKING. Simple and brilliant, that MG! We can all stop talking, right?
The last thing that sealed the deal on this love affair was his advice on how to inspire others, especially if you're leading a team. The simple concept of FEED FORWARD. Feed forward accepts that fact that NO ONE has perfected time travel; and therefore no one is able to go back in time and do something differently. So, going backward in time and giving feedBACK is counter-productive. Instead, what we CAN do is behave differently in the FUTURE. A leader can ask for something to be done differently NEXT time -without dwelling on LAST time!
You might have noticed that, from time to time, I use one of Marshall Goldsmith's Bad Habits as a jumping off point for my own conversations on behavior in the creative arena, especially when I behave in a non-productive way (I'm not afraid to look a fool if it helps someone else) -or when I experience the destructive behavior as I interact with others as we ALL act out the scenes in this thing we all call "life". (In fact, my Oct 22 post referenced #2 - Adding too much value.)
I hope you read Marshall's book. At the very least, I hope you keep in mind the Bad Habits and turn them around to find greater success in your OWN life!
Which of the Bad Habits do you need to stop to create better relationships?
Which of the Bad Habits do you encounter MOST in your own life?
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