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The Wright Perspective℠
Social Commentary from the C-Suite to Main Street℠
A Blog by Gary Wright II
Ugly Baby Syndrome
Thursday, April 12th, 2012
This life lesson applies to any organization, be it a family, tribe, business, or nation. Please note: The term Ugly Baby is only a metaphor.
The hardest thing for a parent to do is admit they have an ugly baby. Whenever something is your own creation, it can be hard to visualize and examine that creation from an accurate and neutral perspective. Everyone who sees your baby will always say, "Aww! Isn't he cute?" and will never tell the parents the painful truth.
The first step of identifying an ugly baby is pretty easy and straightforward. Informing a parent about their ugly baby is a whole different matter. You must use great tact and constructive criticism.
Here is an example on how NOT to point to an ugly baby:
Wife: "Does this dress make me look fat?"
Husband: "No, it is your double-wide ass that makes you look fat!"
In an organization, it is vital to seek out and kill all of your ugly babies. A CEO sitting in his ivory tower is always surrounded by people afraid to point to an ugly baby. In a board meeting, other executives will put great effort into hiding all of the ugly babies from the CEO.
There is a television show called Undercover Boss which perfectly illustrates this concept. In order to actually hear the truth, the leader of an organization must go "undercover" in order to see things from the other (and most accurate) perspective.
Once you start looking for them, you may be surprised at how many ugly babies surround you. You should always be on the hunt for ugly babies and slay them as you find them.
Best regards,
-- Gary Wright II