Praise and kindness (was RE: Thank You from new tech writer)

[Combs, Richard]

McLauchlan, Kevin wrote:
 
> Empty praise is a bad thing (look what it's done to our youth...).
> 
> "Expected" or required praise is almost as much a non 
> sequitur and an abomination as mandated "charity".  The 
> expectation or the requirement destroys it, leaving a hollow, 
> distasteful shell of the real thing.

Amen! That goes in my file of quotes to save, Kevin. Thanks!

I don't do acknowledgements in docs, and I probably err on the side of
under-praise, not over-praise. I'm a cat person, not a dog person, at
least partly because you have to earn a cat's love, while dogs give it
out indiscriminately. 

"Expected" praise, mandated "charity," compulsory "volunteer work,"
indiscriminate love -- all serve to destroy the value of what they
supposedly promote, like bad money driving out good (Gresham's Law). And
they tend to engender a sense of entitlement among the recipients,
undermining their character as well.

That said, when someone reviews a doc, sends me information, or helps me
do my job in any way, I thank them, either in person or in reply to
their message. To me, that's simple courtesy. 

I grew up learning to say "please" when I want something and "thank you"
when I get it. It's just treating others with respect and kindness,
which greatly increases the likelihood that they'll treat you the same
way, making the world a more pleasant place to live.

Richard


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Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
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rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
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