In Praise of Praise

April 14, 2009 · Comments

RJs Licorice Log I love black licorice and I’m not going to apologize. I really love it. And here, in Wellington, New Zealand, I wandered into a store and bought some from R.J.’s Licorice. It was delicious. It was quite soft, quite flavorful, and the portion was just right for me, a licorice lover.

I love the opportunity to praise things. I love being a fan of things. I loved hanging out with GM and driving a Cadillac CTS. I love experiencing things, and then I love talking about them. I love raving.

I flew first class on Air New Zealand, because I said something friendly to a flight attendant after having to run through the airport (literally run) to catch the flight. She gave me a ticket into the BEST flight experience I’ve ever had.

I’ve already told about a thousand folks. Now I’m telling another 20,000 via RSS, and however many more through the front door of my website.

Praise is powerful.

Giving someone something doesn’t elicit praise. Praise comes from an experience that causes positive emotions, and that’s a tricky thing that matters. It’s hard to do the right things to elicit praise, but then again, that’s the deal. You can’t seek praise. You can only tend the farm and make the best damned tomatoes you can make.

Finally, I won’t apologize for the fact that I love to love things. It’s how I’m wired. I’m built to praise. You want the sour patch kids? I can point out their blogs, but I bet you know their names.

I’m over here praising.

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  • True. These days it's the cynics who--in their cynically humorous style--try to dominate the recommendation (or 'this sucks here's why') space.... there's incredible truth to the old saying 'if you've got nothing nice to say, don't say nothing at all'....

    While I'm at it, I'd like to praise this blog, Apple Inc., and the Creative Commons.
    (p.s. discovered via @chrisbrogan )
  • You nailed it - it isn't something that should be sought after. I've given praise to the most random businesses and people; not because they forced it out of me, but because they were in their true form in how they spoke to me and functioned within their business.

    Genuine praise comes from genuine action - and what I've seen, it ends up in good karma for both.
  • LunaJune
    Praise is being gratefull and telling someone about it....I think we should all be graetfull for anything that comes into our lives that brings pleasure, or does a fabulous job without having to be told to. You know when you come out of a store and the person behind the counter was just some pleasant you just want to go back in an bask in the glow of positive energy. I run a vet clinic and I dont' care who you are when you walk in those doors..you are important, no question stupid, no fear overlooked, I'll help you in any way unless of course you are negative, then I will try to get you to stop and look at yourself, I also don't want anyone leaving feeling bad.
    So go ahead and praise the things that make you feel good, let them recieve the positive energy you're giving out.
    My kudo's go out the the older man in the gas station up the street, not once in 2 years have I seen him not be happy, smiley and wish everyone a good day.
    We need more people like that in the world

    Peace and Positive thoughts and deeds
  • Lots of people are missing the boat on praise. Everybody has a voice these days and in a second this stuff can go viral. Praise goes a long way but not as far as disdain.
  • Good insight, Chris. I think we need to follow your lead and do more of this. It's very easy to complain when things aren't optimal, or to post something about poor service or a lousy experience.

    But, it's even EASIER to do something positive. Put a smile on your face, look people in the eye at the store and say hello... Ask the bank teller how THEIR day is going, etc;. A small yet friendly gesture on your part can go a long way towards brightening someone else's day.

    I also believe we need to leverage the social tools at hand to spread some of this love. As example, I was in Home Depot last week and was asked at least eight times if I needed any help at all. To me, that's amazing customer service. So, I posted a little note to @homedepot on Twitter. I fear that these tools are often used to engage around problems or issues, and too infrequently used to share something positive.

    Thanks for sharing this, Chris.
  • Gosh, I just love Chris Brogan :-)
  • and black licorice ... especially when they put it in Vodka Ga Jol http://www.calle.dk/pi/Ga_Jol_Grøn_Lakritz_Shot...
  • Praise is a wonderful thing and goes so very far, and I find for me praise always moves faster then the critical take, but then I am one who looks for the good, the possible and the positive. Raising a special needs child I learned that Praise works wonders!
  • Something tells me most of your readers have gotten the message ;)
  • Excellent, yes, gratitude is key to making the world a more enjoyable place for all of us. Well said Chris.
  • Sometimes simply being nice is akin to praise. Once I was stranded at MSP from a combination of weather and one particularly full plane with a mechanical malfunction. For hours everything was in limbo for many, many passengers regarding flights to the Washington/Baltimore area. Standing in line I observed what a horribly difficult time everyone seemed to be dishing on to the innocent agent.

    When I to got this disheveled lady I simply began by smiling and joking. "Wow, this must be a really great day for you"! As she started to explain the limbo situation I just stopped her and told her that whatever she could do to get me to Dulles at some point would be fine. Simple courtesy.

    When it was all said and done she had me booked on two different flights - both upgraded to First Class. One was to to Dulles. The other was to Baltimore. But if I ended up on that flight, no problem since she'd also arranged for transportation to get me to Dulles where my car was. "At least this way I can give you a great chance to be home tonight," she said. Then she added, "See, you really do get more with honey than with vinegar." Quaint, but way true.

    By the way, she did get due praise from me in the form of a letter I sent to management at Northwest.

    You're right Chris. Praise rocks! Speaking of which, I'm in the process of building a blog and your site and writing has been a wealth of exceptionally useful and inspirational information. Thanks to you!
  • I so agree with you! Too often we are quick to complain if we don't like something and too often pass up opportunities to let people know when they got it right. If you want more of the good things in life, catch people doing things right, and praise them big-time!

    It still makes me smile when I think of the times when I rang up a business to give them a compliment - I would ask for the manager and hear a very hesitant response....then when I told them my appreciation, it was like a sigh of relief, "Oh - that's not what I thought you were going to say!"

    Amazingly, my ex-husband once scolded me for giving someone a compliment, telling me I had embarrassed her! I think for him compliments seemed like giving too much away.
  • kallan
    Kia ora Chris!

    Good you are enjoying Middle-earth.

    Nice post title :-)

    Catchya
  • I'm an Atomic Fireball man, myself... :) Chris, it's so much more fun to praise and like things and recommend things. This whole "trust" thing is nice to share with others, assuming they trust you, that is. It's nice to put the "social" into social media and actually talk to and share things like this with others.
  • Praise feels so good when it is given in an unsolicited manner. You feel validated, ecstatic and pumped someone noticed all the good work you were doing.

    In the spirit of said praise, I'm going to dish out some of my own:

    @SonnyGill ~ Hire the dude already. He's more then qualified for any marketing/social media management position.

    @NickCobb Great back end guy, writer and marketer. Plus he's funny as hell.

    @Alycemarie My new editor. My writing is 5,000 times more readable now.

    That's it for now :). I'm sure that there are literally hundreds of others though.
  • Kate
    I just found your blog and this post made me so happy :) i am a 'praiser' by nature with a dash of optimism and people try to tell me i am too nice. Funny though, i am the one with the positive experiences and constant upgrades (I have had my share of free Starbucks!). I like making people who deserve to be happy - happy. What better way than to point out the good stuff and say THANK YOU?
  • Cheryl
    I love to praise especially when its least expected. I went to the department of motor vehicles to renew my car tags. The DMV has such a bad wrap for long lines, and rude employees, but I always have such a nice time there, maybe here's why. The receptionist has been there for at least 10 years, that I can remember, her name is Amy. So I stroll up and say Hi Amy, with a big smile, hows your day going? She tells me shes been waiting for me, ( I just decided to go there 15 minutes before so that was a little strange) but I said," oh yeah why is that? Shes says,' look at the number playing on the wall,' it was J016, I looked, and right beside it ,it said the wait time was currently 45 min. She says,"A while ago I decided to pull a number and hold it for the first person to ask me how I was and give me a smile," the number she was holding was J019. Then she says" It will be about a ten min wait, have a great day, and thanks for appreciating me." So ten minutes later I had my new tag, and as I walked out I exclaimed" Amy is the best , have a great afternoon Amy" For just a smile and a how are you, a little praise and kindness, and something that should have taken an hour or more, took me ten minutes. Bless you Amy.
  • It doesn't hurt that it was Air NZ you were flying. My first experience flying with them London to NZ was one of the best of my life!
  • kat
    cynics are often smart folks gone lazy
  • LunaJune
    MattWilsonTV thought disdain when much further than praise...
    It was nice to scroll through all this feedback and feel all the positive thoughts being shared, the stories it just made you feel good....then I would see even just the word 'disdain' is has such negative vibes to it and I was going to say something about it but the more positve things I read the more disdain became just a word..I put it down and have nothing more to say about that negative word...no room for it in my world

    peace people
  • Praise helps to build your following. Everyone wants rave reviews. At the same time, criticism can prove to be a valuable learning experience. For me, either one is awesome. Either I am learning, or people are giving me love.
  • Praise costs you nothing, yet can mean a lot to others.
    By giving praise unreservedly can reap you rewards.

    So, what exactly did you say to the Air NZ flight attendant that got you the upgrade?

    ;-)
  • Praise is great but Dutch Licorice... Chris if you haven't tried this yet TRY IT, you will never look at any other licorice again ;)
  • Chris,

    That's the right way to go! Praising is way more healthy than bitching day in and day out. :) The health benefits too are worth noting. A positive person is less likely to fall over dead. Praise you. :)

    Regards,

    Erwin Chua
    Winning To Win Online!
  • Yes NZ lic is nice, but how about Swedish :) Saltier! MM.
  • What an inspiring post Chris. In exchange for praise you fly first class. It just goes to show the power of reciprocity and genuine thankfulness.
  • This one is really GREAT! Nice topic too.
    Regards.
  • Great post Chris. I have been meaning to praise Best Buy. I am truly, truly impressed with their customer service. I had a late payment recently due to a family funeral. The late payment caused all sorts of deferred interest to accrue. I called and explained the situation - and they waived the interest!

    I seriously would never have guessed that a big store like Best Buy would do something like that. Best Buy has definitely earned my business in the future - in fact, I think I will go buy something there this weekend to thank them.

    Thanks Best Buy!
  • Kat Jaibur
    Chris, what a great post! You know I am 100% on board with praise.
    And enthusiasm. When you are excited about someone or something, share it! We all thrive on appreciation, and it reinforces our desire to be our best.
    Praise is appreciation made public. I truly believe that the good you put out returns to you multiplied. Thanks for being the big giver that you are! @katjaib
  • I wrote a blog item with the same title last summer. http://theconferencepublishers.com/blog/meeting...
    My focus was much more on recognizing the efforts and contributions of our employees, but I can't think of a good reason not to praise widely and freely.
    And if you're looking for a brief but well-argued case for generosity, I suggest you pick up "Love is the Killer App," by Tim Sanders.
  • Praise is a great thing. It can be hard to get but when you do it really makes you feel like you are doing something right. Everybody loves that.
  • Nothing beats some excellent Good and Plenty candy.
  • We can do a little more than "just tend the farm". We can grow what we know people like. We can put the crops out on a table on main street. We can give the mayor free lettuce. I mean I completely agree, praise goes to those that provide valuable experiences, but just a good product doesn't always get you there.

    Sometimes you have to make the barrier as low as possible for potential customers to have a good experience and provide them with the tools they need to share. Enable them. Without pushing them too hard. Its a balance as with anything.

    Black licorice is evil.
  • Anne
    Wow! Your post really resonated w/ me today... So needed for me at this time in my life!

    I am reading a book called "Positivity" by B. Frederickson ( for review see http://www.joyfuljubilantlearning.com/joyful_ju...). She recommends making a portfolio of sayings, pictures, objects, etc of things that uplift you...this post is definitely going in the "Inspiration" folder!
  • YOU ARE AWESOME!
  • Praise is a form of admiration...which seems to have a magical formula for opening up communication lines.

    Sheila
  • Chris - grab some licorice and wash it down with an ice cold Guinness .... heaven
  • Paula
    Love the comments about praise and have enjoyed reading your positive comments about various experiences and products. In praise of your blog, you have useful, helpful content that is easy to quicly pick up and presented with a nice tone (not condescending or preachy). Great stuff; I have recommended your blog to numerous people and praised it hightly.
  • Nice Chris, I love your lines there about praise. Its really sends positive feeling and that is all what we need sometimes.
  • You can officially celebrate your love for licorice every year - April 12 is National Licorice Day (USA)!
  • I like to tell parents and teachers: catch your teens doing something good. Kids hear too much criticism and negativity. My latest campaign is to spot schools doing something good. In this economic downturn, school budgets are getting cut, teachers are worried about being laid off, and all of this fear and anxiety transmits itself to the students. If schools have to cut back, then people outside the schools have to step up and find ways to support great educators through praise for intelligent and benevolent actions and through contributions of time and/or money. My kid is 40, but my involvement with schools will never be over.
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