Cheat sheet for people in charge.

The test asks more of you: more people can see you, and fewer will tell you the truth.

Not every hardship is a test, and nothing here is graded.

1. Choose on merit, out loud.
   Put the qualified person in the job, not your friend or relative. Be able to say to the runner-up's face: "I chose them because..."
2. Own the miss, publicly.
   Say it in the same room where you took the credit.

   Say"That was my call. It was wrong. Here is the fix."
3. Deliver bad news early.
   Say"You would want to know this today, so I'm telling you today."
4. Hear the lowest-status person first.
   Say"Before I weigh in, Sam, what are you seeing?"
5. Share what you know.
   Default to open.

   Ask"Who is hurt by not knowing this?"
6. Reward the one who disagrees.
   Then change something visible.

   Say"Thank you for telling me I'm wrong."
7. Pay fairly. Never profit from desperation.
   If the deal only works because the other side has no choice, it's the wrong deal.
8. Offer the first step toward peace.
   Do it before you are forced to.

   Say"I'll move first if you move second."
9. Run the stranger test.
   Would you make this decision if the person it hurts could watch you make it?
10. Know when to step aside.
    If someone else would do it better, make room, and help them start.

This is practical, not religious. I think what you show with your choices is what counts. Share it freely.