“But the campaign results are a complete disaster…the results support what we said all along…” – that’s what I said to my counterpart in London.
His response: “I know, the test was a complete disaster for us too, but the Managing Director doesn’t want to hear that.”
I remember hearing that response and being completely gobsmacked at how a company can be run like this.
The backstory: our Managing Director in London ordered us to run a marketing test (that all of us regional heads knew was going to fall flat on its face) and run a test for a tactic that had worked for him in the past (we’re talking a couple of decades in the past…).
Well, after the test…my counterpart relayed the results but kind of softened it a bit as he knew it’s not what the MD wanted to hear.
The MD already it set in his mind, this is what we were going to do going forward.
Unfortunately, I was a minority in trying to speak up that it’s not wise to do so.
And that’s the peril of being surrounded by “Yes” people.
You are only told what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear.
So, you could end up making decisions (poor ones at that) based upon bad information.
That’s an indication of ego getting in the way of being a good leader.
So, ask yourself, “Are you surrounded by Yes people?”
Join 17,777+ Professionals
The quickest way to level up, become smarter & add value to your career in business & finance.
Signup for the FREE weekly newsletter: The Essential Edge.
Get smarter about:
A weekly non-stuffy 2-minute read.
Get the FREE Report: How to Make Better Business Decisions when you sign up for the Essential Edge newsletter.
We value your privacy. We will never rent, sell or exchange your details. Our privacy policy.
