Leadership Tip of the Week

Receive compliments generously!

When you receive a compliment or praise, don’t dismiss, deflect or reduce what is being said.

Don’t say things like: “Forget it, it was nothing”, “Don’t mention it” or “Thank you so much for your kind words BUT I don’t deserve the praise and what I did wasn’t really that special.”

If you don’t fully let the recognition or praise in, you are letting yourself and the person giving you the compliment down.

It takes courage and generosity for someone to praise or give a compliment to another. Giving a compliment is, in essence, a personal gift. So, if the giver doesn’t experience their gift being accepted he or she will also feel their generosity and courage have been ignored, dismissed, discarded and/or invalidated. They will feel let down and devalued.

At the same time, by not fully accepting the compliment or praise, and fully letting it in, you will miss the opportunity to feel empowered, uplifted and inspired by someone who cares.

If someone tells you how beautiful, talented, powerful and/or special you are and you accepted their view – especially if their view is greater than your own – it will empower you.

So – next time someone gives you a compliment or recognition – just listen openly and generously, don’t interrupt, just let it in. And, at the end simply say: Thank you!