The Power of Positive Criticism

Chapter . Tip #16: Use Their World

An administrator in a university biology department complained to me that one of her assistants was having difficulty getting along with the researchers, who in this particular university were well-known names in the field. In gathering information, I learned that the assistant was slow in getting paperwork to the researchers, argued continually with them, and frequently ignored their requests to recruit experimental subjects.

The assistant saw it differently. She contended that the researchers were a pain in the neck—they constantly made demands, gave little thanks, and were arrogant to boot.

The administrator confirmed that her assistant's perceptions were in fact quite accurate. Nevertheless, the way she interacted ...