Saving Face

THE TOOLKIT

Now that we’ve gone through the various aspects of saving face, let’s boil it down to the basics.

Remember crib notes or cheat sheets? Some of you may remember your schoolteacher allowing you to fit as much information as possible on a sheet of paper to bring in for a test. The flowchart provided here serves as your own set of crib notes to use when you are dealing with issues of face. It illustrates the three key aspects of what a leader does with issues of face: saving face, honoring face, and providing feedback about face.

Saving Face. There is never a time when you shouldn’t be trying to save or protect face. Setting that aside, there are times when it’s particularly important to employ strategies to keep others from feeling ...