We judge ourselves by our intentions.
- I wanted to be at the meeting on time, but the traffic was terrible.
- I did my best to meet my planned numbers, but the clients’ confirmations were delayed.
- My door is always open. You can reach out to me whenever you need my support.
Whereas, we judge others by their actions.
- He is never on time for meetings.
- He has not achieved his plan.
- He is never around to support me when I need him.
It would be great if we could be consistent in our approach, judging ourselves and others based on actions and nothing more.
While intentions are valuable, judging ourselves by our actions helps us take accountability. When the outcome doesn’t match our good intentions, it prompts us to analyze what went wrong. Did we misjudge the situation? Could we have planned better? This self-reflection allows us to adjust our approach and improve our effectiveness in our work.