Praise

[Srbo]

A long time ago, my Father had this employee of his whom he really valued.
The guy was unusually quiet, never really spoke up, never got into fights, never raised his voice. Never asked for a raise. Helped people out at work as much as he could.
He kept his head down, did a really good job every day and simply went home.

So, one day, my Father praised him in front of the whole company how good of a guy the man was, what a hard worker, what a good friend and made him a foreman.

From the moment on, slowly but surely, the guy progressed into the biggest tyrant that ever worked in the company.
Harassed people, always yelled at them - in short, made their job site and life into a living hell.
Dad tried to calm him down, to change him back to his former self, but it didn`t work.
So, there was no other choice - Dad fired him.
And he became Dad`s biggest enemy, how did my Dad dare to fire such a smart and good guy like he was...

Did that ever happen in your life/
Did you ever praise somebody to much, thought the World of him, told him that and then the person changed completely?

Or - did you change after getting a promotion lets say, or simple because somebody told you you are the biggest world wonder since sliced bread ?

Thanks for reading and the responses if there is to be any.

[Doc Wilson]

No I think that your dad's experience is very unusual. Most people are starved for praise and respond well to it.

[Bryan James]

His personal thermostat was triggered. Self-sabotage. He got too comfortable and didn't think that he deserved the accolade that your Father gave him.

I've shot myself in the foot many times.

Far from unusual.

~BJS

[wendymartt]

sometimes when you praise someone so much, it gets to them and they feel like they are better or even over you in some way..

[Todash]

Yeah ... I think something was secretly wrong with that guy the whole time. I get praised at work fairly often, and it is a real morale booster. (I also make sure to tell others I appreciate their efforts, too; everybody likes to hear that, and none of us hear enough of it.)

Undeserved praise might have a detrimental effect, though.

[Drawn to Ka-tet]

I've seen it happen. I don't believe that the praise creates the monster. I think the monster lurks under the surface for a long time before it gets brave enough to show its face.
I've given heart and soul to people who worked for me or with me in the past only to be stabbed in the back or tossed aside for the next person that they can use to thier own advantage.

Perhaps I am naive as I keep doing it, and it keeps happening. I hate to give up on humanity though. There must be some reason that I keep at it. Or am I just a fool?

Long days and pleasant nights.

[hossenpepper]

I think this just points out something I walk around thinking all the time... People are just weird; most of all me!

[Srbo]

I've seen it happen. I don't believe that the praise creates the monster. I think the monster lurks under the surface for a long time before it gets brave enough to show its face.
I've given heart and soul to people who worked for me or with me in the past only to be stabbed in the back or tossed aside for the next person that they can use to thier own advantage.

Perhaps I am naive as I keep doing it, and it keeps happening. I hate to give up on humanity though. There must be some reason that I keep at it. Or am I just a fool?

Long days and pleasant nights.

I didn`t know the guy very well, so I can`t really say what went wrong there.
And I experienced it myself a few times - a guy works with you, you are buddies and whatnot, he gets a promotion and woo-hoo man, here comes Dr Hyde, a guy you never knew...

Are you a fool and naive ?
Perhaps.
But then, so am I. And like you said, it`s hard to give up on humanity.

And I if we are fools for that - so be it.
I wish there was more of us then.

[smunchkin]

I think it is a case of inflated ego. Some people can take praise and work to be even better and some people get an inflated head and act like an arse. Lets face it once you have started to be an arse its hard to stop, maybe he did take it to his head and then had too much pride to admit he had turned into a tyrant and blamed your father for his problems since he was the one who gave him the praise. Its sad how people can be so starved for something they dont know how to take it when they get it. i dont think this sort of thing is so unusual sadly. I think it takes a very special person to have something meant to be positive go so badly and do it again. So i agree maybe we are a little naive to keep doing it but maybe we make the world a bit better for it. i for one couldnt imagine the world if we all gave up and stopped praising each other.

[Damaris]

I hate getting "praise" on the job. Singling somebody out for a public pat on the back is a good way to increase tension among co-workers; too often the one getting singled out is a brown-noser or some suit's pet and I don't want to be lumped in with that group. If the boss wants to wander by and mutter "nice work" once in a while that's okay, but don't make a show of it. Similarly, when I screw up, don't turn my a**-chewing into community theater with co-workers eating popcorn in the front row. If I work as part of a team, then address the team as a whole, and leave any finer points to be handled individually and privately. IMO.