Friends,

Good morning! Welcome to The Gentlemen Elite. This week I’m trying something new. I’m flipping the script and sharing a short essay on some of the best feedback I’ve ever received from a boss. I hope you find it useful!

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The Best Feedback I’ve Ever Received

I’m often asked, “What’s the best feedback you’ve ever been given?” As someone fortunate to have several legendary bosses, I have a few very specific answers to this - one that that I’d like to share today.

Let me set the scene: I was working at Nike, and the most junior on my team, which meant much of the tedious work fell on my shoulders.

Before a meeting with senior executives, I’d been asked to pull together several Marimekko charts (If you don't know what these are, consider yourself lucky), visualizing the market share of the top Footwear and Apparel brands in dozens of different countries. Unfortunately, I had to work past 3 am the night before the meeting to complete the charts.

Early the following day, I dropped a copy on my boss’s desk and eagerly awaited his review - I knew they looked great and were EXACTLY what he’d asked for.

Once he arrived, I peered into his office as he thumbed through the presentation, spending maybe 20 seconds looking at the work that’d taken me nearly an entire night to complete.

“How do the charts look?” I asked

“They’re fine.” He replied

“Just…. Fine?” I implored.

He looked up at me, put the slides down, and said:

“Ian, you don’t get credit for doing what's expected of you. I expected these to be just as they are. You did what was asked. You did your job.”

The Epiphany: Doing What's Expected Is The Bare Minimum

To some, these comments might sound harsh. However, it's important to know that I deeply respected my boss, we had a strong rapport, and he delivered this feedback respectfully.

It led me to an epiphany. It completely reframed my role. 

I’m embarrassed to say that until that point, my mode of operating was simple: await orders from a boss, and work as hard as I could to do precisely what was asked of me.

After this direct feedback, I realized that was the minimum. It wasn't enough to be great. I was a robot. A robot that required constant inputs and energy from someone else to operate.

Doing what's asked is what's expected. If I wanted to stand out, to surprise, to get promoted, to deliver exceptional work, I needed to stop being a passive acceptor of orders and start finding ways to actively lead the work and deliver beyond expectations.

Transforming From A List Taker To A List Maker

Instead of waiting to be asked to create the charts, I should have spent 2 minutes thinking about the work, what we were trying to accomplish, and who we were doing it for. I could have easily connected the dots on my own.

In fact, I should have made that conclusion a week earlier; it would have saved me a late night and freed my boss up to think about bigger, more pressing problems instead of managing my list of tasks every day.

What many young employees don’t realize until they become managers is how much energy and effort are required to manage a team. Anything you can do to make your boss’s life easier by being self-directed, proactive, and not requiring their constant attention will score you major points.

One Simple Question Revolutionizes Output

This led me to a new process. Like many - I often have a running list of things that need my attention. When I start each day, I look at this list, then ask myself one simple question: “If I was the boss - what would I ask for next?”

This question pulled me out of my analyst robot brain and put me in a new mindset that forced me to start thinking like a leader. I started sharing my list with my boss instead of waiting for his orders, and over the next 24 months, I was promoted three times.

I hope this story can help you, and your teams achieve more together.

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