My friend grabbed my arm and stopped me.
You cant do that, he told me.
People dont like that.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Weirdly, it made sense, so I did as instructed.
Actually, its not just true for humans.
My daughter showed me a video of two cats cleaning each other.
It started cute, with one cat licking the ears of the other cat.
To me, it seemed like a loving and gentle gesture.
But then the licking became more forceful, and the embrace turned into a stranglehold and then a fight.
My daughter explained that cats use cleaning to assert dominance.
I recognize this behavior in organizations as well.
A compliment can be justified and honest feedback and praise.
But saying great presentation!
can also come across as super condescending.
The comment can imply that you dont hold the person in high regard and are surprised with their work.
Thats not a compliment, thats an insult.
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