Q:
Last week I wrote a column about the difficulty a �nice� senior associate was having in supervising others and supervising getting work done effectively, and included this comment: "Remember to clarify why you are at work. It�s not primarily to have a good time, nor to relate well to others, but to produce superb legal work as efficiently as possible. Fostering a congenial work environment is a laudable secondary goal, but it is not primary." A reader responded:
What is wrong with you? The objective of being at work is to provide for yourself in a manner that is consistent with your personal values. If you can�t produce a superb work product without being an ass or imposing unduly on those who work for you, then maybe your work product cannot be perfect. Who cares? It isn�t the end of the world.
A:
The main thing that may be wrong is that I didn�t explain myself well enough. Let me try again.
Of course it is important to act in a way consistent with your personal values. Many, if not most, people want to do that. However, it�s vital to clarify how personal values play out in the workplace versus how they play out in the personal sphere.
For example, you might have a (laudable) value of loyalty to friends, despite their shortcomings. You might refrain from criticizing them or trying to �improve� them because you value your friendship and don�t see a place within the friendship for coaching them. Within the office, however, loyalty to co-workers � despite their shortcomings � may require different, adapted behaviors: wanting the best for the person, and helping out with development and feedback so that the individual can be the best practitioner or support staffer possible. In short, your values may be reflected in different, but not necessarily conflicting, behaviors within the office than without. And there�s nothing wrong or inconsistent about this.
Additionally, while I stated that the primary goal at work is to produce top-notch services, that obviously doesn�t mean that I endorse bad personal behavior such as �being an ass� or �imposing unduly� on others. My point was that a self-proclaimed �nice� person needs to figure out ways to adapt his or her personality to retain self-respect (and affirm personal values) but also get the job done satisfactorily.
As for the reader�s remark, �Who cares? It isn�t the end of the world� to have a less-than-perfect work product � come on! What do you think a client would think in reading this or hearing about it? The client, ultimately, is who matters in all this, not people thinking that the workplace is there primarily for a highly personal realization of their values.
Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work
Law.com
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