grenades or good points

It has been a while since I committed words to the electronic ether - that's come from a mix of post August busyness, lack of clarity as to topic & wanting to let some stuff going on in me germinate. Despite that, this title hit me forcefully enough yesterday that I decided to follow up & have a think out loud.

The context that frames what follows is an exponential increase within my vocabulary of the word grenade. Most times, this has come during or reflecting on the various leadership settings I find myself in.

As of yesterday, I have decided to challenge my default use of that word in phrases such as...

I don't want to lob a pin out grenade, but...

I believe it is wrong for me/us to throw (verbal) grenades - they are made with destruction in mind. It's not wrong to make the (often strong) points required at certain times.

I got to thinking what the differentiators might be between a good point & a (verbal) grenade. These were the first questions that came to mind so I'm going with them for now...

1. are my comments aligned to & supportive of the vision of the leadership or an attempt to glorify myself?
2. do my comments fit with the flow & context of the discussion or are they 'crowbarred' in?
3. am I speaking with peoples' best interests at heart or might my words cause damage?
4. is there enough of a wrapper of grace around my truth or just plain truth?

I'm unlikely to find myself in less leadership settings going forward which means there is an onus on me to work through my tendency to lob (verbal) grenades.

I'm excited about the results of me doing that - join me in in the journey?

Jonathan

ps in no way, shape or form, do I believe that my initial four questions are the only/correct ones - all thoughts welcome