I would like to share this article as it about sums up my thoughts on “politically Correct”
It’s tragic when otherwise-smart leaders make poor choices
in the name of being politically correct.
“We all know why this project went south, but it wouldn't be
politically correct to bring it up. We can’t remind him of that decision. Let’s
just blame it on poor execution.” “If this were my business, I would make a different choice.
And I know you would do the same, but the optics on this are just too intense,
I think we need to go in the other direction.”
“I know John’s the most qualified for the job, by Kelly’s
really the executive favorite. We’d be doing John a disservice if we promoted
him over Kelly. He just would not have the support he needs.”
When fear of ticking off the wrong person trumps “right,”
the business suffers on many levels:
- wasted time
- poor decisions
- inferior talent
You’ll never find “politically correct” on a short list of company
values, and yet, political correctness is an unspoken part of the
decision-making process in many companies. When leaders groom their protégés to
follow a similar pattern, the destructive cycle continues.
Mike Myatt shares in his book “Hacking Leadership”:
“In the face of perceived conflict, dissension, threats or
controversy, people tend to default to denial, justification and
rationalization. In today’s politically correct world, it is just easier for
most people to hide in the safety of the majority than it is to take on the
risk of being outspoken, innovative, disruptive, challenging, convicted, bold,
controversial, or truthful.”
Dangerous side effects of politically correct.
The dangers of making wrong choices outweigh the short-term
comforts. Strong leaders take the long view and say what they mean.
Poor decisions.
When the desire for political correctness trumps truth-telling,
important insights are lost in translation. As an executive, I’m always amazed
when I hear through the grapevine what folks think I will or won’t “like.” Even
when leaders want to know the truth, it’s easy for others to second guess what
they’re looking for. What “Karin wants,” is the good, bad and the ugly, and
your true thoughts on what we should do. Anything less will weaken our mission.
Blocked learning.
When leaders reinvent history to “protect” those who made
the decision or to justify poor outcomes, they sacrifice the important learning that
comes from making mistakes. Much better for the “protected” to admit
they have screwed up before anyone is trying to save them the
embarrassment. Leaders can help others save face by creating a culture
where mistakes are accepted as part of the learning process.
Inferior talent.
Many organizations have a long list of unspoken criteria
they use to select candidates before they get to the truly most qualified. The
best candidate is the one with a unique set of talents and skills to create
breakthrough results, not the one who’s built a career working to offend no
one, or who fits some gap in the diversity profile.
Wasted time.
Much time is wasted when people tell others what they think
they want to hear or spin their words into politically correct code. Be polite, be sensitive and kind, but save us all some
time and tell the truth.
Employee engagement.
Nothing’s more frustrating to employees at the front line
than to see their bosses making poor choices for political reasons. Strong
leaders create a culture where “politically correct” and correct are as closely
aligned as possible.
By Karin Hurt on February 19th, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment