MAY 18, 2022 • VOL. 20 ISSUE 20

Hi John,

The best ideas cannot surface in a culture of deference. If you’re a leader, how can you invite differing opinions?

In part two of our article on deference, you’ll find dos and don’ts for recognizing and responding to it.

Also, we want to hear about your professional development efforts and experiences. If you’re an L&D leader, tell us about your efforts and how they’re working. If you’re not, tell us about your experience with professional development. Is it working in your organization?

Please take this short survey to weigh in. Your input helps us uncover important workplace topics and trends, and you’ll have the opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Thanks and congrats to Robin, our last gift card winner.
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KERRYING ON: DEALING WITH DEFERENCE

by Kerry Patterson

In my last article, I suggested that employees frequently defer to their boss’s suggestions even if they disagree with an idea or, worse still, if they think the idea is positively moronic.

Employees withhold their objections to these ridiculous ideas for obvious reasons. They want to be polite. They try their best to be nice. And then, of course, there’s the ever-popular reason: they want to continue making their house payments.

To show how this insane transformation might happen, let me share a personal experience.
CONTINUE READING

How Do I Say That?

HOW TO SAY NO WITHOUT RUINING YOUR REPUTATION

Feeling overwhelmed? The solution is to speak up. But speak up as a contributor craving focus, not a complainer craving less. Here’s how.
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"Laws can embody standards, governments can enforce laws, but the final task is not a task for government. It is a task for each and every one of us. Every time we turn our heads the other way when we see the law flouted, when we tolerate what we know to be wrong, when we close our eyes and ears to the corrupt because we are too busy or too frightened, when we fail to speak up and speak out, we strike a blow against freedom and decency and justice.”
 

—Robert Francis Kennedy
 
 

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