Chapter 32 Criticism cannot change the facts

There is a practice in the German army, which is worth learning for managers.The German army stipulates that no matter how dissatisfied a soldier is with a matter, he is not allowed to raise an objection immediately, and he must wait until the grievance disappears the next day before he can appeal.In day-to-day management work, it also seems to be necessary—especially for a nagging, critical, or short-tempered boss or manager to keep in mind. Resentment caused by criticism will only reduce the morale and emotions of employees, and at the same time, the things criticized will not improve in any way.Criticism does not help at all, such examples are common in history.

For example, there was a famous dispute between Roosevelt and President Taft, which is still fresh in the memory of Americans.Not only did the controversy split the Republican Party and put Wilson, a Democrat, into the presidency, but it forced America's entry into World War I and changed the course of history. What happened was this: In 1908, President Roosevelt left the White House, let Taft succeed him as president, and went to Africa to hunt lions by himself.When he came back, he found that the situation had changed, so he became furious and criticized and accused Taft.In order to control the nomination of the next president, he even formed a buck party.This almost dealt a fatal blow to the Republican Party.In that election, the Republican Party suffered an unprecedented defeat.

Roosevelt criticized and blamed Taft, but did Taft blame himself?Of course not, he defended himself with tears in his eyes: "I really don't know what to do, I have tried my best." Who is right and who is wrong in this matter?Roosevelt, or Taft? The matter is unimportant, and what I want to point out now is that no matter what Roosevelt criticized, Taft would not admit that he was wrong;Let's take the "teapot lid" oilfield fraud case again.This sensational event shocked the entire country. There has never been such a scandal in American politics.The naked scandal goes like this:

The protagonist of this incident was President Harding's secretary of the interior, Albert Fall.He was empowered to preside over the government's lease of oil fields in the Eck Hill and Teapot Gai areas.This oil field is reserved by the government for the future use of oil by the navy. Minister Fall actually handed over this lucrative contract to his friend Dumaker without holding a public tender, and he himself accepted a bribe of 100,000 US dollars from it. . Then, Secretary Fall took high-pressure measures and ordered the U.S. Navy to enter the area to drive away the oil producers in the nearby oil wells, lest the surrounding oil wells affect the oil production of Mount Eck.Of course, those who were forcibly driven away were unwilling to let it go. They sued the court and exposed the fraud in the Chahugai Oilfield.After this incident was exposed, the impact was so bad that it almost destroyed President Harding's government, the reputation of the Republican Party declined sharply, and Secretary Fall was thrown into jail.

Secretary Fall, of course, was condemned by the public in a way no one had before: So, did Fall repent?No, not at all! Many years later, when President Hoover insinuated in a public speech that President Harding's death was a result of nervous irritation and anxiety related to a friend's betrayal, Mrs. Foer, who was present, jumped from her chair. Get up and say hoarsely: "What? Was Harding betrayed by Foer? No, my husband has never betrayed anyone. Even if this whole room is full of gold, it will not induce my husband to do anything. Bad thing. He was the one who was betrayed and crucified."

You see, this is human nature!After doing something wrong, I only know to blame others, but never blame myself.Same for anyone.So, when a manager wants to criticize an employee or subordinate, it's best to think of the above people.Managers must be aware of the following two points: Criticism is like domestic pigeons, they always come back sooner or later. Those we criticize will defend themselves and turn the blame on us; or they will shirk their responsibility, like the moderate President Taft, by saying, "I don't know what to do. I've done my best. .”