Do you love adding value to discussions?

I did too.

When I started my corporate career in Coca-Cola India in late 1990s, the company was taking over bottling operations from the Parle group bottlers (Thumsup/Limca) and alongside was this unending war with Pepsi to grab the market share.

The pace of operations was super fast and one needed to be street smart and also bursting with ideas. A do-or-die attitude was key.

Being a leader, I thought

– more ideas will make me look smart and wise
– more ideas will help my team perform better
– people will love me for all the ideas I share
– adding value meant – I needed to share everything I know

But somehow, it was not working out.

I was doing everything myself.
My team was not performing and falling apart.
Everything was a mess.

What was wrong?

Feeling lost, I decided to have an honest chat with my team.
Initially it was difficult for them to speak up but seeing the opportunity, finally, one of them spoke.

With him others got the courage to speak too.

And then, the feedback hit me hard. I was told:

– My excessive inputs were demotivating for them.
– They felt unheard and unseen because I was the only one sharing too much.
– Their creative and innovative ideas were drowning each time in my ‘two cents’. I wouldn’t listen.
– I always presented myself as an expert, so they thought I was smart enough to find my own answers and they would just follow.

The result?

While I thought I was “adding great value” to my team. They stopped caring. And everything suffered. EVERYONE SUFFERED.

I then knew I needed to get out of the… “I know it all” mindset.

It was a big realisation, a realisation that changed my career and performance as a leader!

I allowed my team members to speak-up and take ownership for their ideas and plans.

But it wasn’t easy to let go of control.
And it took time.
It took a lot of time for me to:

– be more self aware and change my attitude
– listen patiently without adding too much value in every discussion
– trust my team’s capabilities
– be disciplined in practicing my understanding

So, the most important part of being a leader is to give others the opportunity to speak and then empower them to take calls. (Unless they genuinely need your help)

Then be PATIENT & TRUST !

And you will see – the energy will change…the productivity and performance will change.

Then you can sit back, focus your energies on strategy and sip your coffee in peace 🙂

P.S. Have you observed you or your boss add too much value sometimes?

What are your thoughts around getting out of this habit?

Ashwni Sharma

MD & Founder – A Brighter Life | Global Executive Coach | Psychometric Assessment Professional | Master NLP Practitioner | Inner Transformation Specialist | Self Mastery Coach

Ashwni, the Founder and MD of A Brighter Life, is dedicated to empowering leaders to enhance their effectiveness, mindfulness, and influence for joyful success. With over 27+ years of corporate experience, driven by his passion for personal transformation, Ashwni left a successful career spanning four major companies across the UK, USA, and India. Working with CXOs, Board Members, and Top Leaders globally, he combines business management skills with life transformation expertise to enable practical and applicable conversations and actions. He holds international certifications as an Executive Coach and has mastered modalities such as NLP and Hypnotherapy. Ashwni’s passion lies in fostering self-leadership as the foundation for leadership development.

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