The Duke of Wellington, the British military leader who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, was not an easy man to serve under. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to shower his subordinates with compliments. Yet even Wellington realized that his methods left something to be desired. In his old age a young lady asked him what, if anything, he would do differently if he had his life to live over again. Wellington thought for a moment, then replied. "I'd give more praise," he said.
This has impacted my thoughts hugely today - for those of us who lead, who set high standards and a high bar for ourselves as well as for our teams, praise is so important. See I Thessalonians 3: 6-13
absolutely but it has to be the right kind of praise or it can have a detrimental effect!
ReplyDeletewhat would the wrong kind of praise be?
ReplyDeleteeg plastic praise...when people/children are told something is good/great etc when it might not be the case and where the person/child knows they put in no effort or some praise statements may have the potential to lower someones' confidence in themselves. Different people also respond to different kinds of praise....many hate public recognition for example while others thrive on it. Just a few examples.....there are more......
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, perhaps we can agree that appreciation and saying thank you is important.
ReplyDeleteGlad the Duke of Wellington has stirred some debate!
Lynn :-)
Appreciatee your blog post
ReplyDelete