Don't rush to judgement

Frequently in organizations, managers make a rush to judgement, extolling bad attitudes, horrible decisions, and any number of problematic employee actions. In my early career, I would hear these stories and be immediately outraged, frustrated that employees would act in such unacceptable ways.

Over time, however, I learned that perception is in the eye of the beholder, and often these “horrendous” acts, were simply misunderstandings or misinterpretations of events.  While it’s often tempting to rush to judgement, that may lead to poor decisions and increase risk.

The easiest way to clarify what's happening is by simply asking the individual what’s going on in the moment.  Can they explain what they’re doing and why?  What’s the goal? If you come across an employee who’s clearly frustrated, remove them from the situation if possible and ask them to take a break. Give them a moment to regroup and then ask what’s going on.

Often information comes second-hand from another employee or manager.  It’s also not uncommon that this employee or manager was not a direct witness but heard about the issue from someone else.  Realize that the further removed the source is from the actual issue, the more likely there are details missing or changed.

Most people aren’t purposely trying to be deceitful, but it’s easy to see or hear what we want or expect to see, causing us to miss other possibilities.  We also tend to react to drama and, when already stressed, that can immediately put us on high alert, almost expecting or even creating a problem that may not be there.

Take a deep breath and reconsider what’s going on.  Find the individual or individuals directly involved and ask them what happened.  If there are cameras available, look for video of the incident to see what that shows.

What starts as a seemingly serious issue may turn out to be a much lessor offense or even just a misunderstanding. And if you’re a direct witness to a problem, don’t let it continue; immediately step in, ask questions and solve the problem, whatever that looks like.  If there are consequences that need to come, step back and reflect to ensure you’ve got the facts and aren't making an emotional decision.

Rushing to judgement can cause us to come to the wrong conclusions that can affect productivity and morale and even expose companies to risk.

#rushtojudgement #managementsolutions #hrconsultant #positivity

When we rush to judgement, we may not see things clearly.