I love candied ginger; it’s spicy and sweet at the same time. I like to add it to salads and recipes. What makes it 
different is it doesn’t have the “jelly feel” like other sugared candies.
I was thinking about that and how we tend to add sugar to more sugar all the time. Managers and Leaders do that in business so often it tends to come back and bite them.
- Performance Reviews: managers are so scared to tell an employee the truth that they dance around it. They’ll say some sugary thing hoping the meaning is understood, and then follow it up with the employee’s good stuff – sugar on sugar.
- Employee Surveys: managers worry ‘somehow’ the survey is not anonymous and make carefully worded statements and then add a positive one to buffer it rather than tell an employer or company what’s really going on – sugar on sugar.
- Peer to Peer Conversations: when another employee complains, managers smile and nod while listening then offer them good luck as they leave the office without giving feedback or perspective on the employee’s role in it – sugar on sugar.
- Angry Customers: managers deal with customers by saying pretty things and offering a gift in exchange for poor service rather than following up by learning how to keep customers from getting angry in the first place – sugar on sugar.
- Bully Managers: when allowed to continue beating people down and burning people out, most employees resort to saying nothing or denying it, this is the worst. Tainted sugar on sugar.
I like ginger; it offers a spicy flavour that tastes great. I like sugar (who doesn’t) but when they are together they are a fantastic eating experience. Those jelly candies with sugar on top – they’re average. It’s sweet, but nothing to write home about and easily forgotten.
It seems to me there needs to be a good balance between politeness and honesty; support and development; diplomacy and authenticity in leadership. I am pretty sure most companies when asked would choose fantastic over average, so why on earth build a culture that breeds average?