Partners Not Employees – An article by Marshall Goldsmith

Marshall Goldsmith is a world authority in helping successful leaders get even better – by achieving positive change in behavior: for themselves, their people and their teams.

In 2007 Marshall’s new book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, was ranked as America’s #1 best-selling business book in both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. It is a must read for anyone in or aspiring to a leadership position in any organisation.

The American Management Association named Dr. Goldsmith as one of 50 great thinkers and leaders who have influenced the field of management over the past 80 years. He was recognized as a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources – America’s top HR honor. Major business press acknowledgments include: Wall Street Journal – one of the top ten executive educators, Forbes – one of five most-respected executive coaches, Economic Times (India) – one of five rajgurus of America, Economist (UK) – one of three most credible executive advisors in the new era of business and Fast Company – America’s preeminent executive coach.

Marshall is one of a select few advisors who have been asked to work with over 80 major CEOs and their management teams. He also delivers top-rated keynotes, seminars and workshops.

Marshall’s twenty-three books include: The Leader of the Future (a Business Week best-seller), Coaching for Leadership and the upcoming Developing Your Successor (in the Harvard Business Memo to the CEO series).

The Context In India
The world of work is changing rapidly in India. Today many of the key leadership roles involve the management of ‘knowledge workers’. As is becoming obvious in India – the best of these ‘knowledge workers’ have options. They do not have to stay with their present employer. In fact the best can leave and most often get a pay raise. Loyalty to ‘the company’ is down. Exposure to global best practices, global opportunities, literature on good management is up. Add it all up – and leaders in India need to treat these ’employees’ like ‘partners’!

Talent management is a field that requires a healthy dose of leadership on the part of its practitioners, who must be innovators and influencers. And despite the apparent novelty of the concept of “talent management,” that’s always been true.
What’s changed, however, is the way people are led. Gone are the days when leaders could be — indeed, were expected to be — aloof and unapproachable, handing out orders from on high like some sort of demigod. Because of revolutionary transformations in the business world, though, the traditional relationships between employees and employers have changed.

Leaders today must see their direct reports as partners, not underlings. Successful leaders will work hard to build meaningful relationships with the people who work under them. Ideally, these bonds will be open, honest, respectful and multidirectional.
Managers of knowledge workers (that is, people who know more about what they do than those above them) must be good partners. They won’t have a choice! If they are not great partners, they won’t have great people.
What are the implications of all this for talent managers? Well, they have to cultivate the following communicative behaviors in the leadership tier of their organizations, as well as in themselves.
Active Listening
The thing about listening that escapes most people is they think of it as a passive activity. It doesn’t require any real effort on their part — they just sit there and hear someone talking. Of course, this is all wrong. Good listeners consider what they do an active process.
There are three things all good listeners do, all of which relate to one another. First, they think before they respond. Second, they listen with respect. Finally, they always evaluate their reply against the question, “Is it worth it?” If you can master these, you can be an effective listener.
Expressing Gratitude
Thanking someone for a job well done is important because it conveys one of our most basic and valuable emotions: gratitude. This is a genuine and complex feeling, not some meaningless abstraction. Gratitude is either felt, or it isn’t — it cannot be expected or exacted.

When someone does something nice for you, they expect gratitude, and they think less of you for withholding it. Think about it. If you gave a gift to someone who didn’t subsequently express authentic appreciation somehow, how would you feel about that person?

Here’s an exercise to get you started: Think about who has helped you progress in your career and write down the names of 25 people who are most responsible for your success. Then ask yourself whether you’ve really expressed gratitude to these individuals for their counsel and support. Before you do anything else, write each of them a thank-you note.

This isn’t just some exercise to make you feel better about yourself. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s humbling because it shows you how many people you owe for your professional achievements. Similarly, you should thank employees who make you look good with their numerous accomplishments.

Getting Feedback (and “Feed Forward!”)
Leaders often don’t want to hear negative feedback, and employees don’t always want to give it to them. People in high-level positions are sometimes nearly delusional about their achievements and don’t want any negative responses to slip through their mental filters. But feedback is key to understanding who we really are. People need to possess the capacity to change — that’s a fact of survival. But if they don’t get feedback, they won’t know when, why and how they should adapt to shifting circumstances.
Once you’ve received feedback, you should proceed to “feed forward.” This is a four-step process, which breaks down as follows:
1. Pick a behavior you need to change.
2. Discuss this objective with anyone who knows you well.
3. Ask the person for two suggestions to help you change.
4. Listen attentively to the suggestions.
Then, of course, be sure to thank them.
The challenge of leadership is growing. Many traditional qualities such as integrity, vision and self-confidence are still needed. But building partnerships is becoming a requirement, not an option, for future leaders.
(Photo with Beau by John Gastaldo,
San Diego Union Tribune.)