It’s somewhat surprising to many leaders how often team members who receive actionable feedback and recommendations for improvement respond with, “I already do that!” This answer sometimes reflects a passive resistance to the advice; however, more often than not, the team member truly believes they are already performing the suggested action. They often lack an awareness that what they think they are doing is not what others believe and see. If left unaddressed, this disconnect means little action or improvement will likely be made.
This emerges quite frequently in the education field. Leaders often face this type of resistance because teachers often say, "I already do that," and it's probably right. The response is, "Then, do it EVERY TIME."
Yeah, the knowing vs. doing gap is real. As leaders, we know we 'should do' [insert effective leadership behavior here] but we either fail to recognize the opportunity, know the right behaviors to execute, know how to effectively execute them, or do it poorly because we haven't practiced enough. It's easier to be an armchair quarterback (leader) instead.
My experience dealing and coping with generational difference as a Grad student today demonstrates this disconnect. I like the advice of placing the onus on them to demonstrate. However, the exercise next becomes validating or dismissing the example without hurting feelings.
Thanks for mentioning, Paul. Once the person takes time to think through their own examples, in many ways they are internalizing the feedback in a way that wouldn't have otherwise. So perhaps litigating if the example is a good one or not becomes unnecessary. At that point in the conversation, you'd rather think about future execution than criticizing past performance.
This emerges quite frequently in the education field. Leaders often face this type of resistance because teachers often say, "I already do that," and it's probably right. The response is, "Then, do it EVERY TIME."
Yeah, the knowing vs. doing gap is real. As leaders, we know we 'should do' [insert effective leadership behavior here] but we either fail to recognize the opportunity, know the right behaviors to execute, know how to effectively execute them, or do it poorly because we haven't practiced enough. It's easier to be an armchair quarterback (leader) instead.
My experience dealing and coping with generational difference as a Grad student today demonstrates this disconnect. I like the advice of placing the onus on them to demonstrate. However, the exercise next becomes validating or dismissing the example without hurting feelings.
Thanks for mentioning, Paul. Once the person takes time to think through their own examples, in many ways they are internalizing the feedback in a way that wouldn't have otherwise. So perhaps litigating if the example is a good one or not becomes unnecessary. At that point in the conversation, you'd rather think about future execution than criticizing past performance.
Questions are always better. If I say it, so what? If you say 3, you own it!!!