The Judge In Me

"We are all hypocrites. We cannot see ourselves or judge ourselves the way we see and judge others."

- Jose Emilio Pacheco

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It's Automatic

I....er...I mean, "we" judge everyone...and everything, every minute of every day, forever.

Ouch.

Yes, that hurts to say out loud, doesn't it? Well...sometimes we need to say the uncomfortable things out loud. We need to hold ourselves accountable to what often becomes a job-title-blind-spot that afflicts many leaders.

"Once we achieve a certain status, we lose touch with reality. We start to believe that we are better than others on the team. We move toward a superiority mindset that quite candidly, is a disaster."

Constant Struggle
For those of us with a faith perspective, judging others is really, really frowned upon. For others, well-respected leadership voices constantly emphasize the need to listen as a core competency for success. Never is "judge the team quickly and carelessly" referenced as anything but a horrible leadership failure.

The internal battle I'm engaged with, despite my daily focus on this issue, is just that...a battle! It's striking how many times I jump to conclusions, or default to traditional stereotypes even though I know they are dangerous and counter-productive.

How About You
What is your approach to ensure you minimize the time you judge others? What is your secret? I am sure I'm not speaking alone when I say, please share! I want to know!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Judgment Day

"If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that sometimes our assumptions and preconceived notions are wrong, and therefore, our interpretation of events is incorrect. This causes us to overreact, to take tings personally, or to judge people unfairly." 
- Elizabeth Thornton

Persistent "Problems"
I work with people approximately...100% of the time. Whether it's in meetings, on site with clients, at my company's home office, interacting on the phone , or using any of the many digital or social media tools I use to stay connected. I am constantly working with people.

And, well...sometimes that makes things complicated.

One of those complicated issues appears in the form of "ongoing problems:"
- the difficult leader
- the hiring manager who is never satisfied
- the blame game that seems to take on a life of its own
- and the endless litany of excuses that are nothing more than an attempt to deflect the "leader's" inability to address complex issues

Unfortunately those excuses often become the corporate world's alternate facts, and in turn drive a wedge between business partners that should otherwise simply sit down and talk through the various problems that need to be resolved.

Do It Yourself
Our assumptions, and faux reality of the dynamics are often complicated further as we try to be so sensitive to every one's feelings that we don't step in and take charge.

I'm not talking about bullying...I'm talking about understanding that the team around you has tried their best, but they simply are not far enough along in their development to actually understand what to do next.

That is when savvy HR leaders step up.
That is when savvy HR leaders take control.
That is when savvy HR leaders do not allow the noise to interfere with achieving results.

How About You
Do you have issues in your organization that don't seem to be going away? Have you heard the same tired excuses as to why "this person" or "that department" are so difficult? If you're worried that others "won't like you anymore" if you jump in, you have missed the point.

It's time to tell your team to step aside. 

Now.

You are the leader...remember?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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