Monday, April 22, 2013

Do You Follow the "Rule of Tongue"?


According to Bill Hermann, of Plante Moran, leaders need to be evaluated by the number of ridges or scars on their tongues. The more scars, the better. These ridges are formed by biting your tongue when you have the impulse to speak out, at a time when discretion says "be quiet and listen." Here are a few instances of when you can apply the "The Rule of Tongue":

1. If you feel like you need to call someone out in a public   situation, bite your tongue and wait until you can talk to the person privately. 
2. When you've said what you have to say, bite your tongue and stop talking. Over talking is a major bane of people in leadership positions.
3. When someone is learning a new skill and they are about to make a mistake, bite your tongue, because learning occurs through making and correcting mistakes.
4. Bruce Shapiro, of Plante Moran, says it clearly, "I never got in trouble for something that I didn't say".
5. Another way to say this, God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason: next time try keeping your mouth shut and listening with both ears.

I am giving a free copy of my book, "Balanced Leadership in  Unbalanced Times" to the person who can provide the best example of a time to apply  the "The Rule of Tongue" .

Coach Rob Pasick
Email: rob@leadersconnect.com


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