Guest Article: The Judge In Me by Jay Kuhns, SPHR

"We are all hypocrites. We cannot see ourselves or judge ourselves the way we see and judge others."

- Jose Emilio Pacheco

clothes
words
associates
department
academic background
color of skin
gender
faith perspective
home address
car
tech
vacations
politics
friends
partners
music
hobbies
sexual orientation
savvy
business knowledge
experience

It's Automatic

I....er...I mean, "we" judge everyone...and everything, every minute of every day, forever.

Ouch.

Yes, that hurts to say out loud, doesn't it? Well...sometimes we need to say the uncomfortable things out loud. We need to hold ourselves accountable to what often becomes a job-title-blind-spot that afflicts many leaders.

"Once we achieve a certain status, we lose touch with reality. We start to believe that we are better than others on the team. We move toward a superiority mindset that quite candidly, is a disaster."

Constant Struggle
For those of us with a faith perspective, judging others is really, really frowned upon. For others, well-respected leadership voices constantly emphasize the need to listen as a core competency for success. Never is "judge the team quickly and carelessly" referenced as anything but a horrible leadership failure.

The internal battle I'm engaged with, despite my daily focus on this issue, is just that...a battle! It's striking how many times I jump to conclusions, or default to traditional stereotypes even though I know they are dangerous and counter-productive.

How About You
What is your approach to ensure you minimize the time you judge others? What is your secret? I am sure I'm not speaking alone when I say, please share! I want to know!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.
Article source:Jay Kuhns, SPHR - The Judge In Me»

Check out more of Jay Kuhns' work at No Excuses HR