Why being right is hurting you at work
Hey All!
Have you ever watched someone always spot the problem…
…and somehow become the person nobody wants in the meeting?
From the outside, it can look confusing. They’re not wrong. Sometimes, they've quite accurately spotted an issue.
But it doesn't seem to improve anything. It's not helpful.
Here’s the shift that changed how I think about it:
Being right doesn’t buy you influence.
It only gives you the opportunity to spend influence.
And influence has a currency.
In this episode of Building Better Games, I call it the Influence Trifecta, and it consists of:
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Credibility (your reputation / track record)
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Trust (do people believe you do what you say?)
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Relationships (are you on "good terms" with others in your org?)
When you point out what’s broken, you might be making a withdrawal from your influence account.
If you haven’t made deposits first, even a correct critique pulls on credit you don't have and lands like an attack.
So next time you’re about to say “This won’t work” in a leads meeting, standup, or product review, run this quick filter:
Before I speak up, am I…
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Maintaining the relationships? (not shaming others or burning bridges)
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Building trust? (honoring how I've said I should behave)
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Using credibility wisely? (engaging with people who see me as effective and helpful)
An example reframe (customize for your situation):
Instead of: “Here’s what’s wrong...”
Try: “I might be out of theloop, but I'm concerned X might happen if we're not careful. What do you see, and what am I missing?”
You are still pointing out the problem. But the people hearing it are far less likely to get defensive.
Many of us value being right too much and being helpful too little. You've got to get the balance right to have the biggest possible impact.
If you want the full breakdown (including the “dark archetypes” you do not want to become), listen here:
https://urlgeni.us/youtube/QpoFNQ
Respectfully,
Ben C.
P.S.
Navigating politics and the "influence game" of organizations is an unavoidable part of being a leader, especially if you want to grow into senior roles. I've been helping leaders in game dev improve at navigating the upper layers of their org (without becoming Machiavellian) through my Game Dev Leadership Accelerator.
To level up your influence without losing your soul, sign up to learn more about the Accelerator here: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6
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