"Criticism like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots." -Frank A. Clark (Hall ch 6)
Wow! What a quote. The key is to have tact when you are giving criticism. Whether the criticism is given informally or formally it can make or break the spirit of the person being criticized.
I can remember my first year as a teacher. I had a principal who was very critical and had zero tact. She was truthfully just plain mean. The things that she said to me informally throughout the year had really broken my spirit. She initially said that she hired me because I was so enthusiastic about teaching - and in fact I was. However by the end of the year I was truly questioning my decision to become a teacher.
As a leader we have to understand that it is our responsibility to lift up are workers. We are responsible if they fail, we are responsible to help them succeed and to grow. Being a leader is not just being the boss. Where a boss may rule with an iron fist and a sharp tongue, a leader must rule with caring hands and gentle words.
I totally agree with your post Alisha. Leaders are responsible for how those who work for them perform. As you pointed out, even though a leader is the boss and has to make final decisions, the way they talk to employees can encourage, uplift, and motivate them to do well or can cause them to be discouraged and frustrated.
ReplyDeleteThat is definitely a powerful quote. I have had similar bosses that have no tact and rule with the iron fist. The morale of the employees is very low and there is no initiative to perform well because of the second guessing that we are doing to ourselves. You make an excellent point about a leader ruling with caring hands and gentle words. Leaders truly lead by example and treat others the way they want to be treated (cliche but the golden rule comes to mind). Hopefully we can all take that quote to heart and apply it to our jobs and lives!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like this chapter stood out to you, Alisha, for the same reasons it resonated with me. The delivery of feedback is something we do as educators on a regular basis. Whether it is correcting an error or praising an achievement, we are intentional with the words we use and are comfortable in the role. By using the various performance management techniques, we lead our learners and facilitate their continued development. I think an important component in leading is also the acceptance of feedback. By remaining receptive to critique, leaders are able to benefit from development of our own competencies and more effective with the manner in which manage the groups for which we are responsible.
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