–Below is a leadership bullet from Tom’s rifle named Shot–
GRIZZLY BEAR. The very words send a chill up my rifle spine. I certainly would not have been effective against a grizzly bear. They are large; I am small. Still, I honor the famous bear numbered 399. She raised many cubs in the Grand Teton National park before she was hit by a delivery vehicle. Compared to that, she was small.
Some leaders are called grizzlies…behind their backs. Although the indictment may be appropriate at times, all leaders must deal with criticism, even name calling, behind their backs. It hurts. But it can be useful if the underlying criticism has merit. Avoid retaliation and accept the criticism as feedback and work to improve. In some cases, leaders have to be tough and accept that there will always be petty complaints and venting. After all, leaders themselves typically comment on leadership above them. Ah, that brings up an interesting irony: the harsher you criticize those above you, the more you will suspect criticism from below.