October 16, 2009

“He is wise beyond his years.”

“Poor guy, it must cause him great pain.”

A young manager had just been treated poorly in an embarrassing display of senior executive hubris.  Through no fault of this young man or that of his organization, the timing of his presentation was lamentable.  His report of business status exceeded forecasts, yet a scheduling whim caused this particular day to be his turn in the barrel.  Sometimes, the mood of the audience trumps the magnitude of the message.  Shots were being fired.  He had nowhere to swim for cover.

The manager displayed patience, kindness, and respect for the executive who reciprocated with the hauteur for which she was known.  Her disparaging remarks were indicative of tremendous immaturity.  The manager endured.

“He is wise beyond his years,” was the consensus of those who attended the review.  This opinion was voiced as we left the conference room.  A funny, yet somewhat tragic response came, “Poor guy, it must cause him great pain.”  Unfortunately, the actions of others, particularly “superiors”, occasionally do inflict psychological lacerations. While it was certainly painful to be subjected to indiscriminate disrespect, wisdom was clearly not the source of the injury.

In fact, this young man’s wisdom, on display in the form of kindness, left us all feeling better.   

Craig Halsey

They Said It

October 16, 2009