Blending Leadership: Grading

Many adults look back on their educational pasts with at least some degree of scorn for the ways in which they were graded and sorted. The ones who earned very high grades and seemingly benefited from the system will sometimes say that they “knew how to play the game” or just “grinded it out.” They rarely say, grades were good because they allowed me to pursue my interests, enhance my strengths, and generally become a creative and autonomous person. The ones who earned low grades, too, rarely cite grades themselves as a motivator. If anything, low grades work to cut off learning that is only flowing at a trickle with which to begin.

Sellers, trainers, service professionals, or leaders should take note, though, because it is quite possible that you operate in a world where you, yourself, dole out something akin to grades in a way that shuts down something akin to learning. It is quite possible, in other words, that you are sidestepping your client’s, customer’s, or team’s curiosity or intrinsic motivation. As a result, you are missing the chance to enact meaningful change in their lives and in your business.