I think today will be the last of the rules of thumb, tomorrow we'll go back to reason and arguments. But first:
Praise in Public, Reprimand in Private.
This is an excellent rule to follow for anyone who has any sort of authority over others. Following this will generally result in higher morale, higher productivity, and just a better culture around you in general. Praising someone publicly not only gives them recognition, but it also shows others what you consider to be praiseworthy, and so what they should do to earn your praise on their own. Reprimanding in private preserves the dignity of the other person, gives them an opportunity to provide explanation, and gives you the opportunity to judge if correction and education will work, or if it's time to consider letting them go. Harsh, but true.
Praising in private doesn't tend to do a lot of harm, you just miss out on some of the benefits, but reprimanding in public does a lot of harm. Not only does it turn the conflict into something very one-sided and final, since they can't really provide a reasonable explanation when they're having to defend themselves publicly, but it also causes others to be hesitant to act as well. Ruling through fear doesn't work these days, not unless you're a dictator who can actually execute people, so please don't try. Take the time to properly address the issue, not just turn it into a major problem.
That's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and otherwise have a great day. Goodbye!
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