We’re human.

On any given day and under any given circumstance we can jump to conclusions.

We can rush into judgments.

We can take our opinions as fact.

In my many years, I’ve known many days when my tired brain just can’t be bothered with slowing down, becoming objective and starting the grinding process of arriving at the solid facts of a situation.

Who needs that kind of hassle; I’ve got my opinions and those are fact enough, right?

Yes, we’re human.  And at the same time, we’ve agreed to be managers and that means we’ve agreed to responsibility.

We’ve agreed to perform from a place higher than our own reactive personal conclusions, judgements and opinions.

That means we have to see situations as multifaceted, not one-sided (our side).

That means we need to process the swirling push and pull of emotions and learn to stand strong in calibrating our observations to objective reality with precision and do the same when things are reported to us.

Yes, I said learn this.  I don’t know about you, but it didn’t come naturally to me – and I am still working on this. 

I could be swept away easily in a low hanging judgment or opinion.

It is so fast and easy.  Doesn’t take any work.

Catching ourselves in those moments is a skill.  Being objective and seeing from a larger point of view takes muscle, and heart.

It’s an important skill of managing and we need to learn it and practice it.

Slowing down and calibrating to reality when a staff person is full of emotion or the store is facing significant challenges, is our work.

Yes, we’re human and we’re teachable.