Before correcting someone,

determine why they’re acting as they are. 

Most of us would probably agree that just because some people act differently from the way we do, they’re not necessarily wrong. At least we know it intellectually. Emotionally, in light of the judgmental opinions rattling around our head, we still believe those people are wrong. If we recall something that just happened and how we viewed it, we will realize how many of our thoughts are still critical. Having felt exasperated, disappointed, bewildered, shocked, we blamed others for not having acted correctly; correctly being defined as how we would have acted. By learning why people conducted themselves as they did, we will better understand their actions. Maybe we will realize that what they did wasn’t wrong after all. Just different. So in those situations when we do need to correct someone—an employee, a child, someone who requests our guidance—we first need to learn what prompted their behavior.