This is sh**

Steve Jobs is a renowned innovator and a renowned jerk, at least according to those who did not know him as well.  If you read Creative, Inc. you’ll learn that those who knew him closely saw him to be passionate and very caring.  As they saw it, Jobs cared enough to tell you when your work wasn’t good enough. But he never said the creator was not good enough.

For most, it’s not enough to rely on the semantics of using “this” vs “you”. After all, is our work not an extension of ourselves?  I think it helps to be clear here.  Clarify that the work does not meet the standards of your team and that is why it can’t be accepted.  Confirm that you all expect to meet high standards and that the team has high confidence that the work will get there.

Good managers - like good coaches - set the bar for their team, raise it when the time is right, and instruct their team on how to meet the raised expectations.