Do you rush to judgment when dealing with your staff? Allow me to give you my opinion…

All too often, I hear physicians complain about their staff. I ask them “is it really contempt, or do they just need training and rationalization of the outcome you wish to achieve”? In my experience, nearly 2/3 of staff productivity issues revolve around insufficient training and a lack of clear understanding of their goals. Once this understanding is achieved, and the staff is empowered to solve roadblocks and challenges on their own in order to accomplish goals, even the most harshly judged employee sometimes becomes a champion!

The next time you consider whether it’s contempt or a lack of training and understanding, think of this story that was told to me nearly 50 years ago:

A lovely little girl was holding two apples with both hands. Her mom came in and softly asked her little daughter with a smile: “my dear, could you give your mom one of your two apples?

The girl looked up at her mom for a few seconds, then she suddenly took a quick bite out of one apple, and then quickly out of the other. The mom felt the smile on her face freeze. She tried hard not to reveal her disappointment.

Then the little girl handed one of her bitten apples to her mom, and said: “Mommy, here you are. This is the sweeter one”.

No matter who you are, how experienced you are, and how knowledgeable you think you are, always delay judgment. Give others the privilege to explain themselves. What you see may not be the reality. Never conclude for others. It might not be outright contempt!