What Happens in Vegas

OK, so a very simple point for today.  I was just reflecting on a strange situation, where a colleague did something really daft. Stupid actually. After I’d recovered the situation, and apologised to the aggrieved party (she was wonderfully understanding), I pondered what to do next.

I decided to keep the matter private and within my team. To my mind, problems are best dealt with quietly. Discipline is best applied in-house. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. It’s the way Alex Ferguson handled player-issues when manager of Manchester United.  And there’s no doubt it worked wonderfully for him.

But I’ve seen lots of examples where people copy their boss into emails, tell the story to their peers, or tittle-tattle at the coffee machine. It’s motivated by naming, blaming and shaming the culprit. Or just having a laugh at somebody else’s expense. And it’s juvenile. The grown-up, adult way to respond is simply and without fuss. Tidy up the mess and move on. Remember that the way you handle tough situations defines whether you #standout for the right or wrong reasons. Be a low-grade gossip if you like. Or be a high-grade leader instead. You decide.