Passing Judgment (Habit Series #3)

Marshall Goldsmith’s What Got You Here Won’t Get You There is packed with useful insight. If you are a leader looking to improve the quality of your interactions and the influence you have on your team, his book is a must. #3 of “Twenty Habits That Hold You Back from the Top” is Passing Judgment.

Now, why would the effects of passing judgment concern a military leader whose granted authority clearly allows, almost encourages him to judge the quality of his organization and its members’ activities? Isn’t it monumentally important for leaders to scrutinize teams in training so that they are better prepared for war? And when in war, is there not an argument that there is no room for error, necessitating judgment at every turn?

A Navy SEAL instructor watches as BUD/S students participate in surf drill training at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, Calif. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric S. Logsdon.

Why Judgment Matters

It’s in our DNA to regard our leaders and take cues from them. (Primates display similar behavior.) The respected leader’s opinion sets the tone, making people feel good or bad about certain situations. The team uses the leader like a barometer for the environment, informing the internal monologue of questions like “Should I be mad about what those people did to us?” and “Should I let this situation impact my decision making?”

But without care, a leader’s helpful opinions can subtly morph into targeted judgment. Passing judgment means expressing approval or disapproval for a person’s input, which is different from simply expressing one’s stance or putting the situation into context for the team.

Military leaders who constantly display their judgment create stressed teams who withhold their input, show little initiative, and are hesitant to take risks. Judgment prevents team members from feeling like they have control over their own decisions, a key aspect of developing empowered leaders.

Passing judgment can be particularly detrimental in situations like these:

In the formative stages of team building, when members are making first impressions and naturally defensive.
During the creative process, when new ideas are at a premium.
When a team member is in the learning or training phase.
In front of your superiors, simply in an effort to show your decisiveness. (Putting on a showcase of judgment for your boss will likely send the wrong message.)
When you don’t have all the information about what informed the person’s decision.
When making an assessment of someone’s personal challenges, like financial problems, a death in the family, or overall stress level.
In public. (Some judgments need not be made in an open forum.)

Leaders must guard their most basic interactions to prevent an atmosphere of constant judgment. Judgment can seep unnoticed into daily conversations, putting an edge of authority on every encounter and sabotaging the nature of command a leader is striving to achieve.

Deliberate Judgment vs. Reactive Judgment

Military leaders are routinely too quick to judge, citing their “experience” as justification for a quick decision. Leaders can benefit from viewing judgment in terms of the time available to make it. There is no need for a leader to immediately levy her opinion regarding every situation that arises. If time and mental space allow, take a pause, gather more information, and give the instincts more time to chew on the problem. It may also help to sketch a decision timeline when tackling the larger, more complex problems.

Reactive judgment certainly has its place in military leadership. As unit teams encounter more stressful situations, commanders have to make on the spot assessments of junior leaders to ensure mission success. Those rapid judgments are worthwhile, as long as leaders recognize them in context and avoid citing “the importance of the situation” for every stern decision they impose.

At the end of the day, even in combat, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” (John C. Maxwell) The leader bears responsibility for the actions of his command, which he judges so freely.

Mission Neutral

Marshall Goldsmith provides a helpful analogy for curbing the amount of judgment we pass on the people around us, particularly when they are trying to be helpful. He suggests to start by responding to each situation from a “Mission Neutral” standpoint that withholds initial approval or disapproval.

It’s the same as a medical doctor dealing with patients. If you walk into the examining room with a broken leg, the doctor doesn’t pass judgment on how you broke your leg. He doesn’t care if you broke your leg committing a crime or kicking the dog or tripping down the stars or getting hit by a car. He only cars about fixing your leg.

Using this mindset, leaders can avoid making snap judgments that may be unfair or uninformed. Adopting a Mission Neutral mindset also helps leaders distinguish between judging someone’s actions and judging them as a person, which can have important impacts on the command climate. The military has no room for leaders who do not accept mistakes in their organizations, nor for leaders who use judgment to degrade their teams.

For more insight from Marshall Goldsmith, check out the resources below.

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