General Poetry posted March 10, 2023

Chapters:

...52 53 -54- 55...

Excellent

an essay

A chapter in the book Random Rhyme and Petty Prose

Judgement JJ DID TIE BUCKLE

by Bill Schott

In this and succeeding essays, I will expound on the traits of leadership. Those concepts are Justice (previously addressed), Judgement, Dependability, Initiative, Decisiveness, Tact, Integrity, Endurance, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, and Enthusiasm. The next leadership trait to be examined is JUDGEMENT Judgement is about making good decisions.  Thinking clearly and calmly, one can hopefully eliminate a myriad of bad decisions. Approaching problems with a common sense attitude helps us avoid rash actions.   I know we sometimes can achieve a positive decision by imagining the negative. One of the definitions of Murphy's Law is that if something can go wrong, it will. Therefore, we plan accordingly, with an expectation of and counter to any perceivable problems.    There are impediments to good judgement. They can be as extreme as drugs and alcohol, or as seemingly simple as mood or immediate perception of a situation.   People often make poor decisions simply through ignorance. We sometimes react to situations without weighing the outcomes against the current state of affairs. Perhaps we use a sledgehammer to address a problem better finessed with a tinker's mallet.   Judgement is what we call on from our courts. When we take incidents and circumstances to receive a legal judgement, we expect our common laws and their enforcement to save the day.    Prejudice rears its ugly head when we decide to evaluate a person or issue with our preconceived notions about them. Persons, or whole groups of people, may be given short shrift as we view them in a negative light in advance of even meeting them.   I have seen my prejudice rise up when I have decisions involving selecting people for tasks, or when making value judgements about overall dependability.     Fortunately, I am aware of feelings ingrained in my psyche from childhood, and can measure them against my personal experience.  Another person's gender, race, age, or community may, at first blush, seem important to making a decision about his/her abilities. After many years, we understand that people are individuals and not cut from the same cloth.    Good judgement serves us in our jobs, interactions with others, and long-range planning.