BT

Facilitating the Spread of Knowledge and Innovation in Professional Software Development

Write for InfoQ

Topics

Choose your language

InfoQ Homepage News "If you can't say something nice..."

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

Bookmarks
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.

Rate this Article

Adoption
Style

Hello stranger!

You need to Register an InfoQ account or or login to post comments. But there's so much more behind being registered.

Get the most out of the InfoQ experience.

Allowed html: a,b,br,blockquote,i,li,pre,u,ul,p

Community comments

  • I agree

    by Johnny Blaze,

    Your message is awaiting moderation. Thank you for participating in the discussion.

    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) Preuss,

    Your message is awaiting moderation. Thank you for participating in the discussion.

    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.

Allowed html: a,b,br,blockquote,i,li,pre,u,ul,p

Allowed html: a,b,br,blockquote,i,li,pre,u,ul,p

BT