One summer, when my son was seven years old, he spent a few weeks with family in New Jersey.
My son was a HUGE Oriole’s fan. Those in New Jersey are more of the Yankees’ persuasion. Well, let’s just say that my son made an unflattering comment about the Yankees in front of a group of Yankees fans. Not a good idea.
Fortunately, he was little and cute, so he was spared too much embarrassment. He, of course, was told that it wasn’t a good idea to comment about the Yankees’ hygiene in the New York suburbs, and so far so good.
As caretakers and parents, we regularly set our children on the right course. We ensure that errors in judgment are fixed promptly and try to treat them as learning experiences.
Of course, dealing with inappropriate comments or behaviors with our children is expected. But so are inappropriate behaviors from adults (i.e., employees) from time to time. So if we recognize that we all make mistakes, why do we as parents and caretakers find it easy (or easier) to set our children on the right track? Why, as managers, are we uneasy providing constructive feedback to our employees?
If you need some help setting your employees on the right course, let us know.
-Eileen
