— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu at www.tomnewhouse.com.
A TRAPPED ANIMAL IS DANGEROUS. It’s desperate. It’s on its last leg (so to speak). Don’t mess with it. Kill it or leave it alone. Well, that’s my advice as a rifle who has seen many trapped critters.
People are too often trapped by their emotions. Clearly, some emotions are good and helpful. But some are destructive, and it’s these that trap people rendering them dangerous. For example, a person might be bored or confused. Or, he could be contemptuous or arrogant. Or, she may be defensive or contentious. Or, a person may be “un-supervisable” because of distrust or disrespect. If you’re the leader, what do you do? You mustn’t be like Shot and dismiss them or leave them in their misery. They need coaching—determined and compassionate coaching. Help them see the trap (awareness). Then, help them see alternative, enabling emotions. For example, instead of distain, empathy; instead of contempt, curiosity; instead of arrogance, influence.