This past weekend I noticed an interaction between a child and his mother that captured my attention, reminding me of an important lesson about communication. The interaction I’m about to describe is something I encounter in my work regularly with clients of all ages (adults included!), though not always as simple as this example. Yet despite my best efforts to teach people how to avoid it, it can elude even the most well-intentioned. This leads me to believe that it is just one of those challenging aspects of the human condition that isn’t going to go away overnight. I will get right to what I observed, then explain some of my reasoning about its relevance.

~ The right person can do the wrong thing, and it can turn out right. The wrong person can do the right thing, but it may turn out wrong ~