Making a point or making a difference?

None of the hospital staff wanted to have anything to do with him. He was rude, impatient and boisterous. He kept on complaining about the lousy service, the dirty floors and the dingy atmosphere. His constant defense was that “he’s just making a point.”

The head nurse was the only one who could stand up to him. One time, she came into his room and announced, “I have to take your temperature.” After complaining for several minutes, he finally settled down, crossed his arms and opened his mouth.

“No, I’m sorry,” the nurse stated, “But for this reading, I can’t use an oral thermometer.” This started another round of complaining. Eventually, he rolled over and bared his behind. After feeling the nurse insert the thermometer, he heard her announce, “I have to get something. Now you stay just like that until I get back!” She left the door to his room open on her way out. He cursed under his breath as he heard people walking past his door, laughing.

After half an hour, the man’s doctor came into the room. “What’s going on here?” asked the doctor. Angrily, the man answered, “What’s the matter, Doc? Haven’t you ever seen someone having their temperature taken?”

After a pause, the doctor confessed, “Not with a carnation.”

This funny story may not be true, but it reflects reality.

There are people who are arrogant, brash, brutal and rude. They hurl verbal abuse and insult people, then reason that they’re simply making a point.

We want improvements on not-so-ideal conditions and clarity in things ambiguous. But when we address the conditions or the ambiguity, do we just make a point or do we make a difference?

There are people who use the digital platform to make a full-time career out of criticizing, lambasting and badmouthing personalities and business organizations. They may have become famous, and many people may enjoy reading them, but they’re merely “making a point”; they certainly aren’t making a difference. They don’t make positive contributions. You can be rude on social network to try to be funny and build a name, but I seriously doubt that that’s making a real difference. But that’s how some people make a living.

Here’s a suggestion: Get a job. A real one.

You may be making a point, but if you’re not making a difference, what’s the point to that? Throwing an insult and then walking away isn’t even “making a point”. It’s just being downright arrogant and rude. Telling somebody he or she is wrong isn’t the same as guiding, helping and leading the person to do right. The leader and the critic aren’t the same.

The leader is blessed with an enormous amount of influence under his stewardship. The good leader leverages it in order to make a difference, not just to make a point. Sometimes, a good leader has to be a critic. But he doesn’t stop there. He makes things better. He makes a difference.

We can be critical without being rude and brash. Most important, we must be constructive when we’re being critical. High-potential leaders point out problems and present solutions to make things better.

Be respectful and be professional in making a point. And make sure you’re also making a difference.

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