Don't Get Mad; Don't Get Even

Get through it.  Get over it.  Get on with it.  Got it? 

As a leader (read: person in charge), people and the situations they create will piss you off on a regular basis.  Getting even is too easy if you are the head person.  Don’t bother with it.  You can expect to be disappointed, frustrated, and likely disrespected on a fairly regular basis.  You will discover that transgressions committed in, on, or by your team will wash out in time. There is no advantage in exacting retribution on individuals or teams just because you can.  It sets a tenor of conflict that is hard to ameliorate.


The best course is to take the high, by-the-book road. If action is necessary, take it.  Such action may take the form of written reprimands and the like, things that you will find in the HR manual.  This is the appropriate, transparent route.  It sends a message that you are aware of a given transgression.  And now so is everyone else.  There is no need to isolate, snub, or otherwise “rub it in.”  In fact, not doing so also sends a strong message.  Better to be respected than feared or resented.

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