I Dont Suffer Fools Gladly

[Booldawg]

Someone at work fancies himself as management material. He's done the course etc etc and well on his way to promotion.

One of his favourite phrases is 'I dont suffer fools gladly' TBH I dont think this is a good tool to have in your management toolbox but nevertheless.

Is the phrase 'I dont suffer fools gladly' the same thing as impatience, but packaged up to give the illusion of intellectual superiority?

[Canary42]

The phrase is usually used as a rather uncomplimentary one about a third party. To make such a remark about oneself shows a significant lack of understanding.

Unfortunately today's management training (including the much-feted MBA) does NOTHING to instill UNDERSTANDING. This is why the country is going to the dogs, with wet-behind-the-ears management graduates in Health, Transport, Energy, etc failing to understand the real requirements of the management role.

[China Doll]

I've never known anyone who suffers a fool gladly... so to me it's a nonsense statment anyway.

However, I would humbly suggest that the definition of fools to individual people might be brought in to question, I wouldn't consider someone who was learning and/or less intelligent than me a fool; I would consider an ignorant and arrogant muppet an utter fool, or a jobsworth could be a fool, or someone who consisantly makes wrong decisions and then defends them rather than holding their hands up is a fool, someone who always blames others or circumstances for their own shortcomings and takes no personal responsibility is a fool - to me this would be common sense and not intellectual superiority as these people are clearly fools.

[abstibus]

Walks the walk -yes
Talks the talk - yes
Can do the job - no.

[whiskeryron]

p= Personage
I = Intellectually
L =Low
L =Lacking
O=Of
C=Collective
K=Kindness

WR.

[modeller]

People who say that, or are called that, are usually lacking in empathy and patience rather than it being related to intelligence .

[Neveracrossword]

Personally, I dislike 'a good tool in your management toolbox' almost as much as I dislike 'I don't suffer fools gladly'.

[society]

I'd think he had traits of a bully.

[Prudie]

I must be the only one that can think of this in a positive light but probably because I relate to the many managers in my workplace who do suffer fools by letting them get away with poor quality work, lack of work ethic,no responsibility for their output, poor attendance....
If I used the phrase to describe someone I would mean it in a complimentary way. There are always the prats who say it as well of course.

[modeller]

prudie I didn't say it was a negative characteristic . I said it was not directly related to intelligence , however highly intelligent people may well not be able 'to suffer fools gladely '. That's where empathy and patience comes into the equation. None of us like dealing with those we consider morons but we have to remember that those morons may think we are the idiots.
That's where the empathy comes in . It's called being a diploment, a job I would find impossible.