CHAPTER 22: IF YOU MUST FIND FAULT, THIS IS THE WAY TO BEGIN

Calvin Coolidge once said to his secretary, “That’s a pretty dress you are wearing this morning, and you are a very attractive women.” It was so unusual, so unexpected, that the secretary blushed in confusion. Then Coolidge said, “Now, don’t get stuck up. I just said that to make you feel good. From now on, I wish you would be a little bit more careful with your punctuation.”

His method was probably a bit obvious, but the psychology was superb. It is always easier to listen to unpleasant things after we have heard some praise of our good points.

Beginning with praise is like the dentist who begins his work with Novocain. The patient still gets a drilling, but the Novocain is pain-killing. A leader will use….

PRINCIPLE 22: Begin with praise and honest appreciation.