Revisiting an Old Adage

When I first started managing teams (top songs of the day were sung by Belinda Carlisle, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and Jody Watley – those were dark days), I was told to always “Compliment in public, criticize in private.”  It was so intuitive to me that I did not question it.  It made great sense. 

Compliment in public to build one another up, to let the person and his or her coworkers know they are appreciated.  Compliment in public to motivate others to get such compliments and to help shape an overall positive culture.

Criticize in private to minimize defensiveness, to avoid embarrassment, to improve communication (it’s hard to listen when you are focused on how you are being perceived by coworkers).  Criticize in private to improve the chances of this being a teaching moment, and not just a complaining moment.  Sometimes the few minute walk from the site where the issue occurred to a private place to talk is precious, as it gives time for reflection, for tempers to ease, for getting a right attitude.

It all makes sense.  But I do not strive to adhere to this all the time.  Not anymore.  Sometimes I do criticize in public.  I try to be intentional and I pay attention to my prerequisites.  Here are some reasons for criticizing in public:

• Expand the “teaching moment” from the individual to the entire team.
• Model giving direct feedback to the larger group.  This is not only how to do it well, but having the courage to do it.  This is especially effective if the person on the receiving end takes it well.
• Ratchet up accountability.  The important balance is to make it OK to fail, but not OK to consistently miss commitments.  Freedom to fail is critical for innovation.  But in a product-based business, everyone needs to understand the strategic and tactical goals.

Below are my prerequisites.  When I am at my best, I am being intentional about going through this list in my mind.

• Assess the criticism.  If it is a personal matter like body odor or inappropriate dress, that needs to be taken care of in private. 
• Understand my motivation.  Why am I about to bring this out in front of the larger group?  Make sure I am not chest-thumping or acting out of anger or vengeance.  If I do not have the good of the individual and the team at heart, I should wait until I do.
• Have trust.  If the individual and the team do not trust me, we are not ready.  If the individual and the team do not trust each other, we are not ready.
• Know how to deliver the message cleanly.  Be specific, do not dredge up the past, talk about the action and avoid adjectives.

There is more than one way to build accountability.  I favor peer accountability as I think it leads most directly to high-performing teams, develops a positive culture and identifies leaders.  Bringing out issues in the public setting - when done intentionally and for the good of the team – can be an effective way to model peer accountability.

The Genius and the Vaudevillian

There are two quotes which, when considered together, give great insight into why we continue to make the same mistakes as past generations, and why we do not advance as quickly as we ought.  This stagnation and these missteps happen in management, economics, science, software development, testing, psychiatry and medicine.  One quote is from a scientific genius.  The other is from a vaudeville performer (although he was much more than that.)  One quote suggests a problem, the other states the implication of the problem. 

The first quote is from Max Planck, Nobel Prize winner and father of Quantum Theory:

“A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it”

Although he was speaking of "scientific truth", I believe this is insightful far beyond the realm of science.  

The second quote is from Will Rogers, an Entertainer at the turn of the early 20^th century:

It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble; it's what we know that ain't so.

Each of carries around our set of “truths” (you have to start somewhere), and these form our world view from which we make our decisions.  Some of these truths we have arrived at independently through our direct experiences.  Other truths we were told and we accept.  Some of them really are true and some are not.  Mankind has never lacked for “experts” stating with great authority things that just “ain’t so”.  The more these falsehoods are accepted and acted upon, the more they impede progress.  There are obvious examples like believing that the sun revolves around the earth hindering astronomical advancement, and more subtle examples such as false belief in what motivates professionals hindering true advancement in management.

We all have our world view. We should take time to think about our core believes, and question them.  They impact us and those we influence; they are too important to be based only on what others have told us.