I was listening to the Dr. Laura Schlessinger radio program recently and she stated a view about how people who are accepting of something they clearly know is wrong are basically cowards. That very day, I had just finished a conversation with a coworker who had been lamenting how he supervised a “difficult person” and couldn’t seem to get them to motivated to work. There was always some excuse, some plausible story that allowed my coworker to just throw up his hands and concede that it was not the subordinates fault and that somehow, even as his supervisor he was powerless. Knowing the individual of whom my coworker spoke, I offered the point that clear and unambiguous feedback is the only way to deal with such a situation, no matter how hard it is to say the words, and no matter whether he would be liked.
Later, I looked up the blog entry that most closely matched the point that Dr. Laura was making and found a link to a related entry with a description of the thoughts behind the following quote, which I now view as one of my new favorites in the arena of ideas.
Be egalitarian regarding persons.
Be elitist regarding ideas.
– Peter Kreeft of Boston College
Even though the argument upon which it is based is about the definition of tolerance, I find the exact same advice can be offered to supervisors and leaders everywhere. Treat your people with respect, but do not be afraid to tell them like it is–it’s the only chance they will ever have to improve and your people must rely on your courage to let them know.
Lee Reedy
Related quotes:
- On The Recalcitrant Coworker … Looking to verify what I was saying, a coworker replied, “Is that right?” “No,” I said, “but that’s the way it is.” ...
