Balancing Act: Praise vs. Criticism

I recently heard an inspiring speech about leadership during which the speaker used Bela Karolyi and Nadia Comaneci as an example of exceptional coaching. (In case you are not old enough to remember, Nadia was the first gymnast to ever receive any perfect score in gymnastics, and Bela was her coach.) The speaker made the point that, after Nadia received seven perfect 10’s in the 1976 Montreal Olympic games, Karolyi did not stop coaching her. The speaker’s point was that the job of a leader is to continue to improve performance, even past perfect, if possible. Perhaps as a result of this, Nadia was able to master some never-before-her moves, like the double-twist dismount.

In contrast to that point is one of the things I talk about in my seminars, which is our inability to enjoy and accept our own achievements. We have a tendency to look for flaws or weaknesses in ourselves and others, always striving to improve, without giving proper credit to what we do well. I think one of the biggest challenges we have as leaders (of ourselves and of others) is to balance those two opposing philosophies. How do we give proper credit to what we do well, (collecting and proudly displaying our own “gold medals,” as it were), and also continue to work toward improvement? How do we celebrate the accomplishments of those we lead, while simultaneously encouraging their diligence in reaching for more?

It’s no revelation that one of our greatest life challenges is to achieve balance. This question of praise versus identification of improvement points is no different. Do you have trouble in one area over another? Do you congratulate and correct others in equal measure? Perhaps more importantly, do you accept congratulations and correction in equal measure? And can you accept an outcome without placing a value judgment on it? Can you say, “This didn’t work as well as I wanted, but next time I will do it another way,” without feeling defeated? (I think of Thomas Edison and his light bulb experiments. It was reported that, when an interviewer asked him if his 2000 failed experiments were discouraging, Edison replied, “I didn’t fail. I found 2000 ways that didn’t work.”) Can you seek improvement without imagining that “room for improvement” implies “failure?”

This week, pay attention to what you did well. Make a list, on Monday, of at least 5 things. They might be things like, “I didn’t cause a traffic accident on the way to work, today,” or “I finished my report on time.” Enjoy them for the week. Then, on Friday, make a list of 5 things you could do differently to improve your outcomes next time, such as, “I will block out 3 hours on my calendar, for two days, instead of using 6 hours in one day to complete my next report.”  Gather your medals, talk about them, display them, and celebrate them. Then keep working, because the joy is in the journey.