FLATTERY VS PRAISE
So what’s the difference
between acknowledgment/praise and flattery?
Flattery is divisive.
It’s a tool to show praise in exchange for self-gain, loyalty, power and
authority. It’s used too often in church politics to bring someone to your side.
Psalm 12:2
Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter
with their lips, but harbor deception in their hearts.
I’ve used flattery to my
benefit. And if I’m honest, either consciously or subconsciously, I still do.
So how do I battle the temptation to resort to such a cheap tool?
I try to ask myself a
few questions before offering up praise publicly or privately to my team:
- Would I offer this praise if I
had nothing to gain from it?
- Would I offer this praise if
that person wasn’t even on my team?
- Are these my true feelings or
an exaggeration?
- Do I say one thing to my team
member and something completely different to a staff leader?
For example:
What you say to a team
member: “John, you did an AMAZING job this weekend up there! Your guitar
playing was KILLER!”
What you say to a staff
member: “John did better than average this weekend, but still has a long
way to go before he’s stellar. I’ll give him a little pep talk to boost his
confidence”
You didn’t help anyone.
In fact, you gave your
team member an overinflated view of themselves and their abilities with nowhere
to go. Where do you go from “Awesome”?
What you should have
said: “John, that’s the best I’ve heard you play! I can really tell you
are putting time in to practice. Keep it up!”
I’m not saying to not
use words like ‘Awesome’ and ‘Killer’ just weigh the words meaning against the
situation. If the person truly did something that absolutely floored you, then
by all means, TELL THEM!
When you FEEL it. SAY
It.
There are also the
leaders that don’t offer any praise on a normal basis. In How Full is Your Bucket?, the majority of
people said their biggest frustration with their employer is that they are not
acknowledged for a job well done.
There are also the leaders that don’t offer any praise on a normal basis.
YIKES! As church
leaders, we can do better!
Since reading How Full
is Your Bucket, I’ve made it an annual goal to send 60 ‘Bucket Filling’ notes
to my team, family and friends a year.
Five emails or notes a
month showing my genuine appreciation. It’s not that hard. I keep a checklist
in my journal to keep me accountable for sending these notes each month.
Generously dole out the
honest praise/recognition your team deserves. They need it. You have no idea
what their week was like. You have no idea what a simple gesture can do to
change a mood. It’s not that hard and your incredible team deserves it.
FLATTERY VS PRAISE
Reviewed by Admin
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4:00:00 PM
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