Putting people in their place

• Why do you need to put people in their place?
• Are they overstepping their authority? Making statements you know are wrong, foolish, or inappropriate? Bragging? Taking undue credit?
• Is the satisfaction you gain worth making an enemy?
• What's a more constructive approach to achieving the same end?
• Is putting people down really a leadership trait where you work?
• What alternative approach would demonstrate leadership?
• How can you correct their mistake AND win their support?
• To correct performance constructively, do it in private.
• Use a coaching approach rather than telling them what to do.
• Coaching means asking questions like:
  • What were you trying to achieve by saying that?
  • What negative impact might that have had?
  • How might you have created a more positive impression?
  • What can you learn from this discussion?
• Coaching is also about saying supportive things like:
  • I like the way you handled A & B, but do you think you might have approached C differently?
  • You've got good potential and I'd like to see it used fully.
  • I think you could show much stronger leadership with just a little fine-tuning of your approach.
• When you must correct someone's approach in a meeting, it's more constructive to ask sensitive questions like:
  • I can see X aspect of what you are saying, but how would we then tackle Y obstacles?
  • I can see the merits of your case, but what are the downsides?
• Good questions can lead people to the right conclusion so you avoid having to tell them at all, let alone in a point-scoring manner.