But It FEELS Good: Compliment Whores

Kyra writes her Notes From The Cube . . .

OK, so - Yes, we're all Compliment Whores.

Even when we know it's fake.

It's TGIF and I'm feeling very proud of myself because the President recognized my performance today - in the middle of a meeting - in front of my supervisors, immediate and the one just above her.

And it felt good, and I liked it, and I want more.

Sooo much more!

I don't even think he meant it, the President - so much of what he says comes out of the hard-bound management books he has on his bookshelves, the compliment to me was probably #75: "Positive Reinforcement of the non-management employee." But it doesn't matter whether he was sincere or not: he said it.

I'm feeling the same giddy pleasure I had in 9th grade when Evan Shaw, very popular, sat next to me at lunch one day, probably because there was no place else to sit, and he spoke nice to me because that's just the way he was, it turns out. (He's a minister now, but who knew then?). But it didn't matter what Evan's motivation was, everybody saw him talking with me, some even got jealous - of me! - and my stock in myself rose 100%. It felt good and I wanted more feelings like that.

But I was in 9th grade, jasusmarynjoseph! I'm exactly in the beginning of my prime right now and I shouldn't be goo-gahing over compliments like a morning-after bride: I shouldn't because I really deserved those compliments 20 times over and now I'm weak-kneed over a single tossed scrap of recognition.

Ah, we're whores for compliments, aren't we?

The Cube adds:

Management should know it's that simple. Yes, we are.