BE BIGGER #4: Choose Precision Over Politeness

Politeness is wildly overrated.

Politeness is how you say things like

“Maybe we could consider…”

“Just flagging…”

“Not sure if this makes sense, but…”

Precision doesn’t do that.

Precision says what it means.

Precision names the thing.

Precision removes room for interpretation.

And here’s the part people don’t love admitting:

Politeness often isn’t kindness.

It’s self-protection.

I used to choose polite language because it felt safer.

Because I didn’t want to offend.

Because I didn’t want to be “that person.”

But polite language creates fog.

Fog turns into rework.

Rework turns into frustration.

Frustration turns into blame.

So I will not prioritizing politeness.

I will always prioritizing accuracy.

Some tips on how to prioritize accuracy over politeness.

Instead of:

“Maybe this timeline is a bit tight…”

Try:

“This timeline isn’t realistic. Here’s why...”

Instead of:

“We might want to revisit scope…”

Try:

“This scope will fail unless we change X.”

Instead of:

“I’m not sure everyone’s aligned…”

Try:

“We are not aligned. Let’s fix that now.”

This is my new standard being implemented into my daily life. And guess what happened?

Nothing exploded.

No one combusted…so far.

Work has got better.

Because precision is respectful.

It respects people’s time.

It respects the work.

It respects outcomes more than egos.

Politeness delays clarity.

Precision delivers it.

This is what BE BIGGER looks like here:

• Say exactly what you mean

• Remove unnecessary softeners

• Let adults handle direct language

• Trust that clarity is not cruelty

If someone mistakes precision for aggression, that’s not a communication problem — it’s a discomfort problem.

And discomfort is often the cost of progress. Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

Choose precision over politeness.

The work deserves it. You deserve it.