【Description】
How does someone who gets praised at work all the time get fired? We are often told “More praise and encouragement, less criticism and blame”. However, why does more praise sometimes mean more trouble? Let us listen to what Grandmaster JinBodhi has to say.
How can excessive praise at work harm you? How do you stay clear-headed when you are praised too much? Find out from Grandmaster JinBodhi!
【You will learn】
- How excessive praise can harm you
- The mentality to deal with excessive praise
【Featured aphorisms】
- The more praise you receive, the more humility and sincerity you need to show.
- Your weakness should not limit your potential; as long as you stay calm, you could continue to become stronger, wiser, more responsible, productive and persuasive.
【Content】
When you make mistakes, they are amplified because all eyes are on you.
I was praised a lot but ended up getting fired.
Do Compliments Spell Trouble?
I think it makes sense. When you get more compliments, you get more attention. When that happens, people easily forget the good things you have done. When you do well, all you get is a simple “Good job.” People focus on whatever you do. Thus, people don’t expect mistakes from you. When you make mistakes, they are amplified because all eyes are on you.
When your colleagues make the same mistakes, since they don’t get many compliments, they won’t be targeted; their mistakes are acceptable, because they’re not as excellent as you. When you’re complimented, you attract attention. A small mistake can get you fired.
You also attract jealousy because of being complimented. If you are doing well, you often get compliments. Your colleagues have the same gender, salary and job position, and they might have served the company for longer than you have, but they don’t get compliments. It is easy for them to be jealous. Even a Buddhist practitioner is sometimes unaware of their jealousy. So your colleagues don’t even notice their jealousy. In the presence of your boss, they may gossip about you or defame you. This is quite common. This is part of human nature.
Never see yourself as “untouchable” just because you get complimented often. This mindset brings disasters. Be humble, focus on your job and carry out your responsibilities. Arrogance and complacency come when you are unaware. As ordinary folks, we lack composure. We are emotional creatures. Our mood is always changing. Compliments can make us feel like we are in Heaven. Criticism from our boss can put us in hell. Humans are weak.
Still, being weak doesn’t take away our unlimited potential. With a change of mindset, we can unleash our unknown potential; we can become more powerful, wise, responsible, creative and productive.
So, more compliments can mean more trouble; this seems rational to me.