Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Quick to Judge

I've done it. I bet you have too. I'm not proud of it, but I'm willing to admit I stumbled and fell into the trap of labeling myself as "The Honorable." That's right, suddenly I anointed myself Judge, and had no qualms about being judgmental.

That's not good HR. That's not good leadership. That's just not good.

Icebergs Tell A Story
We all know about icebergs. We only see a small part of what makes them complete.  The same holds true for those around us.  We only see a small part of what makes them a whole person. So if we know we're starting from a deficit point of view and only have limited information about people, why in the world are we (read here "I") so quick to judge?  Is it because we want to solve problems quickly?  Is it because their behavior is so obviously off base that "we know" what should be done without even thinking? Or, is it that we've grown a bit too comfortable in our roles? Hmm, that last one stings a bit, doesn't it?


How About You
Are you willing to take a close look at your own style and ease off on the judgement throttle?  It's hard to do.  Important work is always hard to do.  Although you may feel a bit uncomfortable with this change, just imagine how your employees feel when you judge them...day after day after day...
 
I'd love to hear from you.
 
No Excuses.
 
 
pic courtesy of athropolis

2 comments:

  1. Love it. Take down all those 'mission statements' and replace them with the judgement question. At the end of the day it is a better reminder of so many aspects of organizational life. And we can all use such reminders. That human nature thing will keep popping up and we all are susceptible.

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  2. Thanks for your comment Karin. I couldn't agree more!

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