Marshall Goldsmith on adding too much value: let your team own the work
You approve an idea, improve three details and leave the team unsure whether it is still theirs. Before adding the next suggestion, decide whether it is necessary.
Make the decision boundary clear before improving somebody else’s recommendation.
When a suggestion changes ownership
Goldsmith describes a leadership habit in which repeatedly improving other people’s ideas can reduce their commitment to executing them. His warning is useful for founders because a casual suggestion from the owner may sound like an instruction. We apply that idea here through a simple decision filter.
The aim is not to withhold expertise. A serious factual error, an impossible promise or a material business risk deserves intervention. The challenge is telling those issues apart from a preference for doing the work your own way.
Put suggestions into three categories
Before speaking, ask whether the issue is a requirement, a significant risk or a preference. A requirement must be met. A risk needs a discussion about consequences and authority. A preference can usually be offered as optional, or left unsaid.
For an illustrative campaign review, an incorrect price is a requirement to fix. An unsupported claim about customer results is a risk to resolve before publishing. Choosing between two accurate, readable headlines may be a judgement the marketing lead should own.
Use those words explicitly. “This number must match the approved price” gives clear direction. “I prefer the shorter headline, but you own that choice” preserves a different boundary. Do not describe a preference as optional and later penalise the colleague for declining it.
A worked example: the landing page review
Imagine a founder who changes every draft. The marketing lead waits for his comments before finalising anything, even small updates. The founder interprets that waiting as a lack of initiative.
They agree a new review brief: the founder checks the offer, claims and commercial constraints. The lead owns the page structure and copy within those boundaries. For the next draft, the founder writes comments under the three categories rather than silently rewriting the page.
One comment reveals a real gap: the lead did not know that onboarding capacity was limited. That information goes into the brief for future work. Two other comments are purely stylistic and remain the lead’s decision. The example is fictional; its purpose is to show how a review can produce learning instead of dependence.
Ask for the reasoning first
Before replacing a choice, ask what the colleague considered. They may have customer evidence or operational information you have not seen. You can still disagree, but the discussion then concerns the decision rather than whose wording survives.
When you do change the work, explain why. A short explanation helps the team make the next decision independently. A polished replacement with no explanation teaches them to return the next draft to you.
Check whether ownership is real
After a few cycles, ask who the team believes has the final decision. Compare that answer with the authority you think you delegated. Look for unnecessary approval requests and repeated surprises.
Do not make “ownership” an excuse to withdraw support. A colleague may need training, context or a smaller decision boundary before taking on more responsibility. Clear authority, useful feedback and access to help belong together. The founder’s restraint matters most when the team also has what it needs to do the work well.
Try it in your business
Review your last ten comments on a colleague’s work. Label each requirement, risk or preference. Choose one recurring preference to leave with the owner next time. Tell them the decision is theirs and ask what information they need to make it.
Sources & editorial note
- Marshall Goldsmith: Stop Adding Too Much Value
NEXT MBA editorial analysis, prepared with AI assistance from the public sources above. The applications, scenarios and exercises are NEXT MBA examples, not quotations or transcripts. Product recommendations are ours; they do not imply the speaker’s endorsement of those products. Sources checked on 1 October 2026.