Saturday, February 14, 2009

assertionism

When trying to lead, the most effective statements are assertions. Laying out a form or structure gives people something to see and feel - even if they don't like it, they can hardly ignore it, and since most people don't have the time, energy, or foresight to replace it with something of their own choosing they will usually end up accepting it and using it.
Even if the assumed followers are actively opposed to you or your assertion, unless they're fast and smart enough to build an opposing assertion the best they can do is try to tear yours down.
Compare this to a popular format in the humanities - critique. Taking time and thought to show where or how another author/artists' work is deficient can - at best - say that it's imperfect. It can never say that it's entirely unvaluable, because just taking the time to critique shows that it has some inherent value you're trying to strengthen and bring out.

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