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"If you can't say something nice..."

by Deborah Hartmann Preuss on May 19, 2006 |

Earlier this month, David Anderson wrote, in this blog entry:

Trust itself responds to basic agile principles - little and often works better than large commitments delivered very seldom. Random acts of kindness build trust in personal relationships but also in the workplace.

Even the most brilliant, educated technologists among us may find it hard to express their feelings. Anderson identifies a simple habit worth cultivating: give a compliment where it's deserved.

This blog also points to other entries by Anderson on trust in the workplace.

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Community comments

I agree by Johnny Blaze Posted

Re: I agree by Deborah Hartmann Posted

I agree by Johnny Blaze

The key here is to give compliments where their deserved. I've seen too many mangers hand out compliments to everyone fro the smallest thing. While the managers are genuinely trying to compliment the other person it comes across as patronizing. There's no need to go overboard for small things, most people just want a simple "Thanks" to recognize their work.

Re: I agree by Deborah Hartmann

Absolutely right. False compliments actually erode trust, because everyone (perhaps even the recipient) knows they are not deserved, and then all future compliments are not only meaningless but actively build up a wall of distrust.