“They’re waiting for the other shoe to drop,” MacMillan explained. “Regularly starting with a compliment to ease into a critique quickly teaches people to be on high alert. They end up ignoring the positive and resenting the negative.”
This sounds like too many people only offer compliments immediately before a complaint. Further down, the article lists alternate strategies, but never gets to the idea of giving intermittent positive reinforcement.
It’s so easy to underestimate positive reinforcement, but it can make a big difference.
Personally, I don’t mind receiving a compliment sandwich as long as the compliments are genuine, and the criticism is constructive.
I can tell when people are doing it, but still appreciate the effort when it’s done right. There are probably better strategies to use, but definitely prefer that to the ultra negative shit on everything management style. I had a boss like that for ~2 years, and it just made every aspect of work so miserable.
This sounds like too many people only offer compliments immediately before a complaint. Further down, the article lists alternate strategies, but never gets to the idea of giving intermittent positive reinforcement.
It’s so easy to underestimate positive reinforcement, but it can make a big difference.
Personally, I don’t mind receiving a compliment sandwich as long as the compliments are genuine, and the criticism is constructive.
I can tell when people are doing it, but still appreciate the effort when it’s done right. There are probably better strategies to use, but definitely prefer that to the ultra negative shit on everything management style. I had a boss like that for ~2 years, and it just made every aspect of work so miserable.
It literally skips the greatest tool in behavior modification?! Big oof