The Contented Cow Blog

Building Workplaces That Work

The death this weekend of Tony Snow, former Fox News editor and White House Press Secretary, leaves another void, as did the recent death of Tim Russert, in the ranks of honorable American journalists.

Of course, the passing of Tony Snow, a Committed conservative, and former spokesperson for a highly unpopular president, will be mourned less audibly by the mainstream media than was that of his contemporary, Russert. In fact, I’ve been watching CNN on the plane all morning, and Snow’s death has not been mentioned. There are, after all, more important things to keep us apprised of, like the birth of Angelina Jolie’s twins.

Tony Snow had the ability to communicate, report, opine, and engage with others without the mean-spiritedness that we see in so many in the political and journalistic arenas. He was clearly George W. Bush’s best press secretary, and maybe the best holder of that job we’ve seen in a long time. With his death, and that of Tim Russert, we’re left with the likes of Wolf Blitzer, Bill O’Reilly, and David Gregory, to grind their axes in an ever decreasingly civil discourse.

I admired Tony Snow’s willingness to tell his boss he was wrong. A clip aired this weekend by Fox News, where they knew Snow best, and respected him most, showed the press secretary in a lively spar with President Bush. “I’m not going to say that,” he said to the president. “That’s BS.” The two laughed, and Snow prevailed.

We could all probably benefit from those we lead telling us when we’re full of it. So, here’s an assignment: Have a one-on-one with someone on your team. Challenge them to tell you something you’re absolutely wrong about. Something you think is golden, but that they know is bunk. Make sure they know they can tell you the truth safely, and then act on what you learn.

It would be a fitting tribute to Tony Snow.

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and his co-author and business partner Bill Catlette, are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

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