Much of what we do as business owners and operators is evaluative in nature.  We evaluate the numbers to see where we could improve.  We evaluate proposed changes or additions to our current way of doing business with an eye toward making the business better.  We evaluate employees and managers to see who really makes a contribution and who doesn’t.

When it comes to evaluating people, the thing that must be foremost in our minds is their motive for the things they do.  The same action can be good or bad, depending on the motive.  For example.   A husband loves his wife.  It’s been a long time since he’s done anything to show that so he comes home with a big bouquet of flowers.   He gives her a big kiss and whispers sweet nothings in her ear.  That’s a good thing.  On the other hand, let’s say another husband wants to go out with his buddies friday night.  He knows his wife isn’t going to go for it.  So he brings home a big bouquet of flowers and whispers sweet nothings in her ear.  That’s a bad thing.  The action is the same, but one is a genuine expression of love and caring and the other is a manipulation.  Expressing your love is not only a good thing, it’s something you ought to do a lot more often.  Trying to manipulate someone is not just a bad thing, it is something that will drive a stake through the heart of your relationship faster than anything else you can do.

It’s the same with your employees.  When you examine the information they bring you (trying to determine its value,) you must do so by looking through the lens of motive.  Just because the action appears good on the surface, you can only judge that for certain by determining the motive.  Often times that motive isn’t immediately clear.  That’s where your judgement comes in.  You have to learn to get to the heart of the motive if you’re going to judge fairly.

Wrongfully judging the motive can have catastrophic consequences.  In the example above, what happens if the spouse who recieves the flowers from the loving husband misjudges the motve and asks, “What are you trying to do?  You don’t ever buy flowers.  What have you been up to?  What are you trying to cover up?”  In that case, the couple may well be on the way to ruin in their marriage.  What about the other case?  The manipulative husband shows up with flowers and his spouse says, “Oh, you are so kind.  I know I’ve been too hard on you.  I know you’ve wanted to spend time with your friends.  Why don’t you go with them on Friday.”  That spouse has just set herself up to be manipulated and abused for the rest of their relationship.

When judging the actions of others, we can never judge correctly in a vacuum.  We have to know the motve.  If you don’t know the motive, be careful in passing judgement.  Because after all, motive is everything.