In a world where you constantly get feedback to improve yourself, how do you decide if the feedback is valid?
How do you decide if you should work on it?
One of my clients recently told me,” A lot of people tell me that I’m too aggressive. But I don’t know if that is a fault. In fact, feel that the reason I’m successful is that I am aggressive. Aggression is what keeps me on top of my game. But when I keep getting this feedback I wonder if this is something I need to focus on. ”
In his leadership 360, there were multiple comments on his aggressive and rude behaviour.
Here are some questions I asked him to help him get clarity.
And if you are a leader who constantly gets feedback on improving some behaviour these questions may work for you as well.
- What does your behaviour stop people around you from doing? For example, does it stop people from admitting their mistakes? Or asking for help?
- What does your behaviour allow others in the organisation to do? Does it give permission to other people to be also rude to each other? Do others get the message that it’s okay to be aggressive?
- How does your behaviour affect the culture of the organization?
- How does your behaviour impact the outcomes in the organizations? What is it do for business results?
The point is that as a leader it’s never about just YOU. Everything you do has a #systemicimpact.
It is about the #influence that you have in the organization.
It is about the #impact that you have on the fabric of the organization.
And if the impact that you are having on the organization is detrimental, then it is definitely something you need to work on.
If however, your behaviour does not have a significant negative impact on the organization, then perhaps you can let it go.