Consider This When Giving Advice.

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When in leadership positions, we often have to give people advice or direction. Sometimes we do this in our everyday lives.

Maybe Bob in accounting does something that rubs us the wrong way.

First, we should consider if we are projecting. Projecting is an idea in psychology that we see in others what we don’t like about ourselves as a defense mechanism.

Second, we should also consider whether we fall into Solomon’s paradox. Advising others without actually putting that advice into practice in our own life.

Third,

Considering these when advising others will be beneficial in your journey as well as the journey of the person you are advising.

On the other hand, Bob from accounting could have some advice for you.

Which can be hard to hear.

While it may be tough to hear, it is important to consider what is being said and reflect on it.

I can say from experience, that it is easy to put my defenses up and not listen to what is actually being said. Instead, I find it easy to brush it off and assume the person is just an asshole.

In both scenarios, it is important to separate the behavior or action causing the need for this conversation from the person. When it even feels like a personal attack we put our defenses up and don’t listen to what is being said.

These can be tough conversations to have.

A good book on approaching these conversations is Crucial Conversations. I’ve linked to it below.

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