I’ve said it before, the truth is a beautiful thing. Nothing taints truth like delivering it with malice and egotistical motives. In both life and leadership we tend to place a high value on it, if it is on our side. I don’t know anyone who loves being ‘wrong’.
Because of this, we all have the capacity to go to great lengths to justify our ‘wrong’, when it is clear we are. It just sucks to be the one who made the wrong call, causing a launch, product or project fail. Even in the most gracious, trust filled and kind environments it takes a lot of strength and courage to admit our part in the failure of an enterprise.
Though a virtue, some see vulnerability as weakness and incompetence. On the contrary, it takes more courage to acknowledge failure, than it does to justify it.
Coming back to truth… Everyone wants to have truth on his or her side. However, there are times, guaranteed, that we are right and others aren’t. Or vice versa.
Being ‘right’, for all its worth is not a license for perpetuating wrong [Click to Tweet]. Again, I say this because there’s a wrong way of being right.
Smear
Some people just want to be right for the sake of it. It is like winning a battle in which you gain nothing by winning. You are right… so what? Rubbing it in the face of those you do life with or serve on a team may gratify you and stroke your ego.
Some ways of ‘being right’ damage relationships in the long-term (Click to Tweet)
Resist the temptation, as the result is likely to be damage to relationships in the long-term.
Nasty
Being right is not license to be nasty. Being rude is a wrong way of being right. Often when this happens, attention shifts to ill attitudes displayed and not issues at hand.
Don’t lose common courtesy because you’re right (Click to Tweet)
Keep in mind that the win should be for relationship and the mission. Being nasty or mean only serves the one who’s right and no one else. Relationships are fractured and missions undermined.
Told You
It can feel good to have been right when things on the overall are wrong and broken. It is just being human. Resist playing the famous, “I told you so” card. That doesn’t fix anything.
Your focus should never be who was right or wrong, but moving forward to realising mission. I say this often: Don’t be a jerk.
“I told you so” never fixed anything (Click to Tweet)
Think and act ‘mission and solutions’. That alone, should be the focus. When perspectives differ, it should be because of the mission being first and not fueling ego trips.
Thus
Being ‘right’, for all its worth is not a license for perpetuating wrong [Click to Tweet]
When you’ve been right and everyone else not, be mature about it. Don’t rub it in anyone’s face, be courteous and focus on solutions going forward. By doing so, you keep and strengthen relationships and continue focused on mission.