Dead Right

"When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know; But when you listen you may learn something new." (Dalai Lama)

One day in high school, I was walking down the sidewalk with my mother.  We needed to cross the street.  Instead of going to the intersection and crossing at the cross walk, I decided to do it sooner since I figured I could make it before the next car went by.  My mother grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"What are you doing?  There are cars coming", said my mother.

"Don't worry mom", I replied confidently.  "Pedestrians have the right of way."

"Yeah and you'll be DEAD RIGHT", she retorted.

How many of us are dead right in our daily lives?  We get our way or prove that we are smarter than someone else but at what cost?

Sometimes being right is not as important as having wisdom.  If you are married, then you've already discovered this the hard way. 

There was a movie years ago that had a scene in it where a mother asks her son if the dress she was wearing makes her look big.  He replied "No momma.  It's not the dress.  It's your hips that make you look big."

"Keepin' it real" isn't always the best strategy.

We all have seen Mr. Know-It-All at the office, at the family reunion or at church.  He has an opinion about everything.  He is the smartest person in the room.  He corrects others when they tell a story slightly wrong.  And he always has a better story or joke to tell.  Essentially he is not afraid to blow out your candle to let his light shine. 

Don't be that guy.  Don't be DEAD RIGHT. 

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I was once in a situation where I was working for some very egotistical people that were not doing things very efficiently or effectively, for that matter.  Unfortunately for me, I brought these inefficiencies to their attention.  I was right.  Completely right.  DEAD RIGHT ... and unemployed.

Do you have subordinates that are doing things differently than you would do them?  You need to decide if it is worth alienating them to correct them or do you take a different approach.  Just because someone does things differently or has a different opinion than you doesn't mean that they are wrong, though that seems to be the perspective that our society is now taking. 

Sometimes we spend too much time arguing and not enough time getting things done.  Sometimes we lose good employees because we try to do their job, as well, and don't allow them room to grow, develop and utilize their skills.  Sometimes we irritate our friends and family because we just have to win every argument and be the smartest person in the room all the time.

Miles Kington once said that 

"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.  Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."

If my mother was a philospher, she'd say "Knowledge is knowing that pedestrians have the right of way.  Wisdom is not finding out if the driver of a car is paying attention and not reading a leadership blog on their phone."

After his mother saved him from certain death while jaywalking, Jamy Bechler went on to be a college basketball coach for nearly 20 years and is now a John Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker and Executive Coach who travels the country speaking on various leadership topics.  Contact him at CoachBechler@CoachBechler.com to find out how you or your team can be more successful.   You can also subscribe to his leadership insights & newsletter by clicking here.