How misguided praise can do more harm than good.Praise can be powerful, but when it’s vague, generic, or something you can say to a dog like "good job," it can backfire and do more harm than good. Kim, Jason, and Amy explore the nuances of Ruinous Empathy and praise, sharing real-life examples, like the infamous FEMA response during Hurricane Katrina, to illustrate the pitfalls of Ruinously Empathetic feedback. They discuss the importance of making praise specific and sincere so people know what was good and why, allowing them to repeat their success. Get all of the show notes at
RadicalCandor.com/podcast.
Episode Links:Connect:Chapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionKim, Jason, and Amy introduce the episode's focus on how praise can become ruinously empathetic.
(00:00:53) What Is Ruinous Empathy in Praise?How praise can be ineffective when it's vague, insincere, or lacks specific feedback.
(00:02:19) Defining Praise vs. CriticismWhat constitutes praise, how it differs from criticism and the dangers of insincere praise
(00:06:06) Effective Public Support and PraiseGuidance for leaders on how to support team members publicly after a mistake.
(00:11:51) Consequences of Praising FailureWhy offering praise after failure can be misleading and harmful.
(00:17:04) The Role of Specificity in PraiseThe importance of specificity in making praise feel sincere and useful.
(00:22:11) Ruinous Empathy and Manipulative InsincerityThe nuances between ruinously empathetic praise and manipulatively insincere praise.
(00:33:07)