Hot Stoves

Mark Twain observed a cat that once sat on a hot stove will never sit on a hot stove again, or a cold one for that matter. I recalled the line this morning when reviewing management experiences that produce an effect far beyond the direct lesson. Once an employee or a manager encounters one unpleasant episode, it is not illogical for them to avoid related ones, even though the latter may be harmless or wise or the cast of characters may have changed. The more severe the experience, the less people are inclined to parse nuances. Lawyers who protest that they didn't intend for employment lawsuits to discourage frank communication in the workplace may be utterly sincere, but their words come from the perspective of someone who does not risk being placed in the cross-hairs. So too with managers who regard a personnel action as narrowly focused and performed with a scalpel while the employees see someone who is beyond their control swinging a meat ax. Noble intentions are not enough. Consideration should also be given to the mitigation of unintended effects.