From Idioms to Education

Idiom #8

 “Cut someone some slack”

I hope you see a theme developing.  Two weeks ago, we “let someone off the hook” and last week we “beat around the bush”.  Today, “we cut someone some slack”.

You see the red lights flashing in the rearview mirror.  Your mind races.  Somewhere in your thoughts are two questions that seem to instantly arise.   You ask yourself, what did I do?  And will the officer “cut me some slack”.

We all make mistakes and we all need to at times be “cut some slack”.  A skillful leader knows when to cut that person some slack.  When faced with this dilemma, I employed a simple personal rubric.  Namely:

• How significant are the consequences of the mistake?
• How often does this person need me to “cut some slack”?
• Did I specifically speak to the person about the consequences of his /her actions prior to the mistake?
• Did the person own the mistake, accept responsibility, and does the person bring the issue to my attention?
• Does he /she have a plan in place to avoid repeating the same mistake?

Knowing when to “cut some slack” is not easy for a leader, a spouse, a parent, a friend, a colleague or a significant other.  My recommendation for you is to know what is important to you and your organization and to develop a framework that works for you.  Good luck.