A critic tells you what went wrong. A coach tells you what to try next. Only one of them makes you better.
LEADERSHIP
WHAT THIS MEANS
Criticism tells you what is wrong and then stops, which leaves you holding a problem and no move. Coaching costs more because it requires actually knowing what should happen next, and it puts the person giving it on the hook for something. The difference matters most when you are the one talking. Accurate and useless is a real category, and it is easy to sound intelligent while living in it.
When you point something out this week, bring the next step with it. If you cannot think of one, ask rather than criticise.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
When you give feedback, do you name a next step?
MORE IN LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE
- If you have to trick people into following you, you’re not a leader. You’re a scam with a group chat.
- Years from now, someone might say “you were the first person who believed in me.” Aim to deserve that sentence.
- Bad news gets heavier the longer you carry it. Leaders hand it over while it’s still light.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.