Depreciating Appreciation
This entry was posted on 2/19/2007 11:30 AM and is filed under appreciation,Appreciative Intelligence.
A couple of months ago a blog entry by David Maister started a 46-comment conversation.! The subject? “Are We Too Negative?” (http://davidmaister.com/blog/255/ ) I’d like to ask a similar question – do we depreciate appreciation?
Here’s an except from Appreciative Intelligence: Seeing the Mighty Oak in the Acorn: “Appreciation has its skeptics and critics as well as its advocates. Like a medical doctor who diagnoses what is sick in a patient in order to determine treatment, many organizational change professionals seek deficiencies in a business or organization to set a course of action.[i] The “Pollyanna” figure, or one who cheerfully looks for the best, is sometimes viewed as one who is unrealistic, naïve or overly happy. “Real” work is sometimes synonymous with seeking what is wrong or broken to bring it back to a steady state.”
Most of us don’t want to work with managers or colleagues who have nothing good to say. We bristle when a family member harps on us in the name of improving us. But do we do something similar when we hear good things?
If we distrust a compliment given by a friend, or dwell on the one negative reaction we received instead of the 12 positive comments, maybe it’s time to ask: What are we getting from depreciating appreciation? Instead, can we appreciate appreciation?
