[00:00:00] The addiction to being right. It happens more than you think. Have you ever worked with a high performer whose career was like a rocket ship? They just knew all the answers. They were a lot of fun to work with because they shared their knowledge and they shared information. They helped others. Then many years later, you don't actually recognize this person anymore.
[00:00:25] They're always have this need. They always have this need to be right all of the time. And if it's not their way, the way they want it, then it is wrong. You could hold a blue crayon in front of them and they would say it was yellow, even though everyone in the room agreed it was blue. It's a leader you watch make really bad business decisions because they have to be right.
[00:00:51] Well, if you've seen this happen, you might have known someone who was addicted to being right. You might also say to yourself, is that
[00:01:00] really possible? Being addicted to being right? Well, unfortunately, yes, it is possible just like being addicted to shopping or sugar or substance. When we get ahead of dopamine, it feels great and over time we need more and more of that same, um, hit that, hit a dopamine to feel that same way.
[00:01:19] And when a leader is addicted to the dopamine hit of being right over time, they need to be even more. Right? People who are addicted to being right can be incredibly aggressive towards those that challenge their rightness, because if a person isn't right, then their drug of choice is being taken away from them.
[00:01:39] A leader addicted to being right misses out on all the new ideas and innovation. The leader can't possibly know everything that's going on in the market. So when someone on their team brings them a new idea or challenges the way things have always been done, the leader addicted to being right, often can't see the future or see the evolution or even why the change is critical to the business.
[00:02:04] And a great example of this is Kodak. Did you know that Kodak had the patent to the first digital camera? An inventor that worked for them. Steve Sassan was the inventor of the first digital camera, and when he presented it, the idea to the leaders of Kodak, they thought it was a horrible idea. Just horrible.
[00:02:26] Why would someone not want all of their photos to be printed on paper? And they also worried that the idea would hurt their film cells. So they said no because they were right. They thought they knew what their P, what people wanted, and we all know how that story ended for Kodak. So how do you ensure you aren't showing signs of the addiction to being right?
[00:02:51] Well, the first thing, when someone brings you a new idea and you don't really get it, use this statement. I don't see it, but change my mind. This allows you to learn more and keep an open mind. It creates a space for your team to have a difference of opinion and not be in trouble for it. If you want to learn more about this very powerful question, check out podcast episode number three, where we spend the full episode digging into this very powerful question.
[00:03:22] Another thing you can do at the end of a very important meeting, ask the team, what do you wish I knew that didn't come up during our conversation today. This sends a message that you don't know everything and you wanna learn from the powerhouse minds and the room. This is a simple question, but it can really change the team dynamics because when a leader who is learning.
[00:03:46] Says these types of things to a team. They create a team that is also learning. And your last tip of the day is at the end of the today, ask yourself, what did I learn that I didn't know when I woke up this morning? And if you can't think of something, then you might have a need to be right, and you might have taught your team not to bring you new ideas.
[00:04:12] It is easy. Let's correct that issue to correct that issue. Start asking your team to share what they're learning on any topic. It doesn't have to be work related. When people start sharing what they are learning, it encourages everyone else to also be a learner. And wouldn't it be great if our dopamine hits came from learning something new and not from being right.
[00:04:35] I have no doubt as you listen to this episode, you thought of someone you are working with now, or someone you've worked with in the past that you think, oh my gosh, that person has to be addicted to being right, because unfortunately, this problem is common and grows over time like any addiction, and it also spreads when the boss is rewarded for always being right.
[00:04:56] The team starts holding onto their own need to be right. It's a cycle that has no positive impact on the team or the business. I wanna challenge you to learn something new every day. When given the opportunity, ask someone to change your mind and show others that knowing everything isn't good leadership, but being open to new ideas and new information is great leadership because, Teaching people that not knowing everything is fantastic and amazing and opens the world up for you.
[00:05:31] This will help all of us fix leadership.
