Marshall Goldsmith: Before Speaking, Ask ‘Is It Worth It?’

In the book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, one of the classic challenges of successful leaders is identified as “adding too much value.” As an executive, this occurs when the potential value of your suggestion may be outweighed by the potential damage it could cause.

Our friend David Ulrich taught us that effective implementation is a function of the quality of the idea times the implementor’s commitment to make it work. The more ownership a person has for the idea, the more committed he or she is to making it work. When personal ownership of the idea goes down, commitment tends to go down with it.

Unintentional Orders

When J-P Garnier was the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, I (MG) asked him, “What have you learned about leadership since becoming the CEO of this huge company?” He sighed, “My suggestions become orders. If they are smart, they are orders. If they are stupid, they are orders. When I want them to be orders, they are orders. When I don’t want them to be orders, they are orders anyway.”

When I asked J-P what the most important lesson he learned from me as his coach was, he said, “You taught me one lesson that has helped me become a better leader and have a happier life. Before speaking, ask myself one question: ‘Is it worth it?’ When I do this, about half the time I decide, ‘Am I right? Maybe. Is it worth it? No.’”

Visualize one of your direct reports. She is young, smart and incredibly committed. She comes to you with an idea. You think it is a great idea, and then your mind comes up with a series of suggestions that (you think) might make it even better. You start sharing your suggestions and notice that she is taking careful notes to make sure she gets all of the details right.

Idea Appropriation

If you’re not careful, one major problem may occur. The quality of the idea may go up 5 percent. Her commitment to execute the idea may go down 50 percent. It is no longer her idea. It is now becoming your idea.

Alan Mulally, former CEO of Ford, is one of the great leaders of this century. He had a wonderful discipline. Before speaking, he would ask, “Is anyone else in the company more qualified to provide ideas on this topic than I am?” If the answer was yes, he thought, “Why should I be speaking?”

As a CEO, it can get even worse. Not only will your less than optimal suggestions get implemented, they will be initiated with “the CEO said” at each level in the organization.

This lesson does not just apply at work. It also applies at home.

Taking a Pause

At work, before speaking, ask yourself, “Is my comment going to improve this person’s commitment?” If the answer is no, then ask, “Is it worth it?” Sometimes it is worth it. J-P did not say he never made suggestions. He did say that about half the time it wasn’t worth it.

At home, before speaking, ask yourself, “Is my comment going to improve my relationship with the person I love?” If the answer is no, then ask, “Is it worth it?” At home, if the comment you’re about to make will damage your relationship with a person you love, it is almost never worth it.

It only takes a few seconds to think, “Is it worth it?” before speaking. It can take a lot longer to recover from the damage caused by speaking when it was not worth it.