Are you using your power?

by | Mar 24, 2012 | Uncategorized | 5 comments

Knowledge is power, said Francis Bacon. Are you putting your knowledge to good use? You know that if you praise someone for a specific behavior, the person is likely to show that behavior more in the future. Also, praising has the side-benefit of helping to maintain rapport. Whom did you praise today? For what? Did you praise someone in front of others? That has additional potential in that the observer can learn also to show the specific behaviour more in the future. For instance, yesterday I sent a department email to praise publicly five academics whose units received high student ratings. They likely felt that my comments showed appreciation for their hard and successful work. If others commend them too, they might try even harder in the future. At the least, I would expect the praise to help keep them working hard. Other academics observing the praise might see the potential for themselves to obtain appreciation of their teaching efforts. But I didn’t commend the academics so much to motivate them as to celebrate with them their success. Celebrating someone’s success is fun — that is another benefit of reinforcing desirable behavior. Finally, praising someone else’s good behavior often comes back as a matter of reciprocity. If I do something of note, the odds will be higher now that these individuals will join me in my moment of success.

So think about what you know. Use that knowledge, that power. Use it for good purposes.

John Malouff, PhD, JD
Assoc Prof of Psychology

5 Comments

  1. Hi John. I must say, one of the big things I took away from studying Behaviour Modification last year was the power of reinforcement. It’s really helped me in my personal life, and as a counsellor in helping people improve their relationships with their partners, children and work mates. Knowing that the best way to have someone repeat a desirable behaviour is to reinforce it is so simple, but it can be very effective. Kathryn Martin

  2. John, I am finding rather than spending too long dwelling on the negative part of someones actions it is more beneficial (for myself and the recipient of my praise) to comment and praise on the positiive part of what they did. It’s back to that old adage you catch more flies with sugar and honey than with vinegar. If I am in a shop and need to confront an emplyee about a problem I am having, rather than telling them about everything is wrong I tell them what has gone wrong and how it could be improved. So thanks for the remiinder about praise as sometimes I get too caught up in my own life to realise that others will feel better if I praise them.

  3. I agree with you all.
    Praise is good.
    Praise is positive.
    Praise makes someone feel good – even the person giving it.

    Dwelling on negative is draining. Even those words look dark and dull.

    Praise = Sing!

    Nicole 🙂

  4. And…it also just feels so good! 😉

  5. … and I think we all hunger for praise as it’s such an acknowledgement of work put in, or just enough incentive to have us put more work in to a project … sometimes we are just so busy and wrapped up in our lives we forget that these little things mean so much to recipients ..

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *