What to an outsider will be no more than the vigorous presentation of a conviction, to an employee may be the manifestation of a determination which it is not safe to thwart.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Strong convictions from outsiders can feel like dangerous threats to employees who fear retaliation.
- In plain terms
- A strong opinion might seem harmless to you but look dangerous to someone working for you.
- What can you take from it?
- Consider how your conviction feels to those dependent on you.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When did you realize your strong stance was intimidating?
- How do you balance conviction with empathy?
Another view
It risks conflating genuine threats with mere discomfort.
More from Learned Hand
Life is made up of a series of judgments on insufficient data, and if we waited to run down all our doubts, it would flow past us.
Permalink to quote #17 You may ask what then will become of the fundamental principles of equity and fair play which our constitutions enshrine; and whether I seriously believe that …
Permalink to quote #19 Like John Stuart Mill, he would often begin by stating the other side better than its advocate had stated it himself.
Permalink to quote #16
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