Why bother?
You know the drill: you float an idea of merit to your boss and colleagues only to receive a pat-on-the-head look of disdain in response. You’re left feeling like your boss just called you pooky and told you to leave the thinking to the adults. So you do.
It’s all too familiar: that dangerous mindset telling us that the boss is always right and that there’s no point even trying. Why bother? Deferring to the boss or another high-level executive on matters of opinion is a common occurrence in the world of corporate gamesmanship. In fact, the phrase Highest Paid Person’s Opinion (HiPPO) is frequently mentioned in leadership articles—mainly about what not to do. Within this sphere, there’s an unspoken rule that the person present with the highest ranking on the organizational chart holds the best idea.
In all fairness to these HiPPOs, maybe, just maybe, there’s a correlation between rank on the organizational chart and intelligence that means that the boss is indeed equipped with the best ideas. It is this possibility that Dr. Jay Zagorsky examined in recent research. Dr. Zagorsky found that high income is correlated with high IQ scores. So perhaps highly paid people in executive positions are smarter and therefore worthy of making the final determination regarding ideas. But does a high income give these individuals an advantage when it comes to making decisions? Dr. Zagorsky’s work sheds some light on the question.
In the same research, Dr. Zagorsky found that having a high income does not correlate with high levels of wealth. In other words, decisions made by high-income individuals related to financial matters such as credit card use, paying bills, and bankruptcy were as bad or worse than those with lower IQs. So the highest paid person in the room might not be the smartest decision maker after all.
Perhaps what we’re really talking about when it comes to HiPPOs isn’t just ideas or thoughts, but judgment. Judgment may extend beyond appraising the idea to include sensitivity to the environment. A wise leader (or HiPPO) will control verbal and non-verbal cues to encourage their team to participate. He or she is already assured of being heard and valued for their
contribution. This means that just because you’re a HiPPO, you don’t have to dominate the conversation. The opposite also applies: just because you’re not a HiPPO doesn’t mean you shouldn’t speak up.
In fact, deference to the HiPPO is dangerous when eliciting ideas. We all understand that a decision must eventually be made and that it will likely be the highest paid person making that decision. However, the spirit of idea generation within a team involves embracing all ideas and opinions to ensure a diverse and healthy debate. It is that spirited debate that will help generate the optimum conclusion/solution.
For those of you still asking why bother, here’s the bottom line: you won’t have the slightest chance of being heard if you don’t voice your opinion. So if you aren’t a HiPPO, speak up. If you are one, lay low.