What Can Brown Do for You?

     We all know a well-placed compliment can work wonders. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Flattery will get you everywhere.” How true is that statement? When does it go from flattery to insincere words?

     At my job, corporate visits bring out the best and worst in people. The whole office hurries about like a woman preparing for a first date. People are never as productive during a work day as they are the day of a corporate visit.  Everyone is in tip top shape. No sooner do high level executives hit our door, do false compliments begin to flow like water out of the mouths of employees and managers alike. Part of me always wonders if these compliments are ever taken seriously. The compliments are anything from their appearance to how eloquent they speak. Some of these compliments are accurate, while others couldn’t be further from the truth.

     Flattery makes you feel good. There isn’t a person on Earth that doesn’t like a little honey on their ears. There is a limit to how far you can go. At some point it will become untrue. A compliment should be unique just like the person it is intended for.

     A compliment is a wonderful thing. It can add perk to a dreary day. A false compliment may slip by the first few times, but after a while it is chalked up to shameless brown nosing. False compliments are a waste of the speaker’s air and the listener’s time.