Sitting on your laurels
It’s easy to stop the progress you have made so far when you stop working towards your goals.
Jocko Willink mentioned in one of his books that giving praise can be a tool, but we should never overuse it. It’s nice to have a pat on the back from time to time, but it becomes a problem when it comes to the point that you expect it.
Showing appreciation to others is great because it shows you care about them and are happy about the help they provide. But when you keep telling them, it stops being a nice gesture because, although you might think you’re boosting their confidence and self-esteem, it will most likely do the opposite: what it’ll boost is their ego.
When the ego calls the shots because it thinks it knows best, you often get in trouble. You can’t think straight if you let it drive the show for too long.
Keeping the praises to a minimum is not a bad idea while making sure those persons understand you care about them and what they do. It’s easy to stop trying harder to achieve a goal or become a better version of yourself when the accolades seem like achievements. We perceive them as the goal when they’re only a simple recognition of the efforts deployed so far. That’s the nuance we often miss.
So by making sure we encourage people while keeping them hungry for more, we have allies ready to help even more. By sitting on our laurels when we think we made it and we’re the best, we stop and miss opportunities and occasions of growth.
Pursuing growth is my goal because I know I can’t achieve it 100%, and that’s precisely why it’s so compelling: waiting for the quick fast-food compliments, even if they feel good at the moment, can’t sustain you all along your journey.
What do you think? Let me know.