There is a very basic
moral principle in life when dealing with grievances with others – the Mallet
Rule. The Mallet Rule says that for every grievance that you have with
another there is a proverbial toolbox at your disposal with mallets ranging
from very small all the way up through hammers to a large sledge hammer.
Whenever you have a concern
with another, you have a moral obligation to use the smallest mallet needed to
get results, using the most polite, discreet and considerate means possible to
effectively address your grievance. After having done this, if the
problem is not corrected, you should escalate to a larger mallet but only one
just large enough needed to bring attention to the problem, and so on until you
find the right size mallet needed for the job. The Mallet Rule says that
it is unethical to ever use a larger mallet than what is needed, to cause
potential damage to relationships and reputations when it is out of proportion
to the force needed to resolve the problem.
The Mallet Rule is an
extension of the Golden Rule: do not do unto others what you would not want
done to you.
