Part 4, Chapter 5: Let the other person save face

Principle: Let the other person save face

Before finding faults, issuing threats, criticizing a child or employee in front of others, consider the other person’s feelings/pride.

Even if we are right, and the other person is definitely wrong–destroying their ego does nothing.

“I have no right to say or do anything that diminishes a man in his own eyes.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I have a hard time with this one, in part that some people seem to be so egotistically high on their own horse, they need to be brought down. Although at that point, there is usually no use in trying, because they won’t budge.

Have you ever felt the need to criticize someone right in their face? How did that work out?

–Angela