Page 187 - Roy W. Rice - CEO Material How to Be a Leader in Any Organization-McGraw-Hill (2009)

168 • CEO Material: How to Be a Leader in Any Organization

I rate people on a scale from 1 to 10 in competence, commitment,
and confidence. That’s it. That’s all that counts.

Take Feedback With the Best Intent

Don’t take it as a personal attack or an insult; don’t think that you are
flawed, unworthy, or rejected. Don’t feel estranged from the person giving
it, nor mistrust that person. Keep in mind that just because not everyone
likes you or how you do things, you also don’t have to like everyone or
how they do things.
Remember, you have opinions about others, just as they do about
you. Should they fear this from you? No. Nor should you fear it from
them.
When your boss critiques something, you’re being told what’s valued
in character, information, or abilities. (This is not the time to bring up
his or her shortcomings—no kettle calling the pot black here.) Do noth-
ing to cause the boss to react or he or she may say, “That’s the last time
I’ll ever help him!”
The best thing you can do is to thank the giver of information—
maybe even send a fruit basket (without sour grapes) or a handwritten
note (make sure that your handwriting is legible). At the very least, say,
“Well, that’s interesting feedback. Thank you for that.” Then say, “I’m
glad you told me that” or “I appreciate you bringing that to my attention.
As of this morning, I took action to change.” At some later point, go out
of your way to express sincere gratitude again for the person’s honesty.
Explain what you did to correct the situation, and tell the person the (pos-
itive) results.
One CEO told me of an incident that had happened that very morn-
ing. “I talked to a colleague and said, ‘Here’s a critical remark for you:
You seem to have lost the ability to communicate without yelling,’ where-
upon she exploded and stomped out. It took courage to say it, and I really
considered the wording, but I was flummoxed by the response. She could
have just said, ‘Thanks for the feedback.’”