The person asking took my advice one step further and delivered not only that line, but also a few words of explanation as to why. She received a very positive response back from the person, who maturely acknowledged that her performance had not lived up to her potential. My friend believes that a mentoring opportunity may result from this.
It reminded me of a quote that I have had on my desk literally for my entire career. Entitled Guidelines for Working With Students, one of the points is "Be honest with yourself and others. It does no good to tell students what you think they want to hear." I have kept David Ambler's advice visible for all these years because I think you can substitute "people" for "students" and have a mantra for how to treat everyone.
We often fail to have the sincere conversations that can truly help people grow. Instead, we should treat the honest delivery of feedback as a gift that can help others reflect on the impact of their experience. Our silence or evasive white lies may seem kinder, but in the end it robs the other person from the ability to grow.
Delivering the respectful truth -- one that can actually be heard -- is a skill worth cultivating.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
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