April 27, 2009
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One of my good friends and fellow theologians on leadership development is Michael Schwalbe. In our days as undergraduates at Cornell University, Michael and I were part of various discussion groups that covered philosophy and career dreams among other topics. Early on in these meetings, it became clear that some people were real thought leaders – only making substantive comments that really moved the conversation forward – while others had the tendency to just commentate – adding superfluous remarks or merely restating what had already been said. Michael coined the distinction “content-making versus commentating.”
Later, when I was in business school, the Content-makers and Commentators began to stand out even more strongly. As we discussed case studies and current events, there were some people that would listen more than speak. And when these people entered the conversation, their insights would always move the discussion forward.
When it comes to communication, quality beats quantity any day. I recall one leader during my time at Goldman Sachs saying to his team, "If there is anything I need to know, you have a responsibility to tell me. If there is something that I don't need to know, you have a responsibility not to tell me."
We should all be on a quest to stop diluting what is important with the tendency to add noise – often by sustaining a culture of commentating. Consider a few tips for focusing on the real meat of your business:
- Email Discipline: One executive we interviewed claims that any email he receives that was sent to 7+ people is automatically deleted. He explains, “Yes, I have interest, but in managing time, these excess communications have somewhat negative returns for me.”
- Inquire: Ask your managers what is interesting and not interesting to them, and then start filtering your communications accordingly.
- Restraint: When making a comment in any meeting, strive to be a Content-maker rather than a Commentator. Ask yourself, “How will this comment shed new light on this issue? How will it add value to the overall conversation?” If you can’t answer the question, then sit back and listen.
***This article is adapted from the research and writing of Scott Belsky and the Behance team. Behance runs the Behance Creative Network, the Action Method project management application, the Creative Jobs List, and develops knowledge, products, and services that help creative professionals make ideas happen.
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