Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

NAFCU was lucky enough to have Marshall Goldsmith speak at our Annual Conference a few years back. He gave a wonderful lecture that was based on his book, "What Got You Here Won't Get You There." 

After the conference, I read his book. One portion fascinated me.  It outlined 20 bad habits that hold many successful people back from being strong leaders. 

 

As I marched through the list, I started to groan.  I owned quite a few of those habits.  Habits 2 and 3 especially.

2.  Adding Too Much Value.  The overwhelming desire to add our 2 cents to every discussion.

3.  Passing Judgment.  The need to rate others and impose our standards on them. 

Guilty, and guilty.  Marshall's point was that these traits can be good in some situations.  But if you want to lead people (or exist in a happy marriage), they can be deadly.  

Marshall gives an example of why.  Adding value to a situation is good, right?  That's why we hire consultants, attorneys and accountants. We value information and insight.  But suppose a colleague comes to you with a great idea. Do you say "thanks?" Or do you say, "nice, but what about if we did this?"

By adding your two cents, you've stolen your colleague's ownership of the idea.  Your input may improve the idea a wee bit, but you've likely decreased the likelihood that your colleague will implement that idea with full gusto.

I'd recommend reading the book. It is a fairly quick read, and quite funny at times.  (Don't let your spouse read it, though.  He or she will likely highlight certain passages and hand it back to you.) If you don't have the time, Marshall does make the list of the 20 habits available here. 

I recommend reading that list every quarter or so.  It is chock full of good life advice.

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Do you tinker? Like to measure progress and tweak processes to make things better? Then I think you should attend NAFCU's Strategic Growth Conference. It takes place February 21-23 in lovely Charleston, South Carolina.  You want to grow members. Improve your brand. Make more loans. Be faster and better. You're not alone, and at this conference  - you'll find people just like you. I hope to see you there!