One of the hottest professions of 2008 is being a praise consultant for companies. You are paid anywhere from $100 - $1,000+ per hour to assure employees how great they are, how creative their ideas are, how valuable even their lackluster work is to the company, etc. — whatever it takes to restore the employee’s confidence. It seems that many of the young employees are struggling in a world where they are not constantly praised. This lack of ego stroking leaves some of them almost paralyzed when it comes to job performance. When these same employees are emotionally satisfied and feeling “on top of their game”, their productivity is amazing, thus companies justify the cost.
Why this sudden need for a personal praise coach? It seems that the newest entries in the work force have been raised in an environment where they have only heard, “They could do anything, they could be anything, and that nothing was out of their reach because they were gifted, extraordinary, brilliant, talented, special, etc.” Throughout their 20+ years, they were given endless praise. They were even blessed with what is often called “helicopter parents.” Parental units who hovered over them, protected them from every failure, showered them with endless praise and support. Their bedrooms are filled with countless trophies, plaques and awards. Every milestone in their life was highlighted and recorded. They possess countless intricate scrapbooks chronicling every soccer season, dance recital, musical, etc.
Now faced with surviving in a professional world full of high expectations and limited rewards, they are desperate to be uplifted, encouraged, inspired, and reassured by a “titled professional” so that they do not lose their confidence and edge. They are in need of someone that will provide them with hope so they can face the challenges of daily work and survive criticism and failures. They struggle to understand and don’t want to accept that they are ordinary in so many ways. Their perception of themselves and what they are entitled to is in direct conflict with what the world is providing them. They ask, “How can this be?”
Scripture tells us that when we look to the world, ourselves and our accomplishments they will leave us empty and unfulfilled. These are not the things that give us hope.
These young people, like all of us, don’t need a personal praise consultant, they need a personal Savior.
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Amen to that, Marsha. That photo is perfect, too, for the post!
This is a great post, Marsh. Thank you for your diagnosis and keen insight into some of the cultural challenges that the people of God face in this confused and confusing world.
Where do I sign up to be a Praise Consultant?
Back in the 90’s, Saturday Night Live would do a comedy sketch with Stuart Smalley… He’d look into a mirror and say things like.. “I wore the wrong color tie with my shirt today—but that’s ok because I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it people like me”. Everybody laughed at the absurdity and self-absorbtion of this exaggerated fictional character. How sad that 10 years later it has become a realtiy.
Thanks for the post. I think that it is important to remember the we all are in need of a little praise. Only, what we need is not the shallow pat on the bottom that these employees would seem to offer. Rather, we need the praise from Christ who offers us Salvation at no cost. Then, through us, Christ will continue to encourage others.
I just wonder how silly people feel when they pay someone to “praise” them. A job well done deserves some acknowledgement…but not every move and breath along the way, not even by the one who counts, their boss.
It sounded like you said the companies are actually paying for the praise coaches, not the employees themselves…which is an interesting distinction. If the companies are doing this, good grief, what is their criteria for hiring people? The bar seems to be pretty low. I
Melissa,
The companies do indeed pay for such outside consultants. The companies need and want the creative approaches that many of these young employees bring to the table. Many times, these young employees are truly specialists in the fields of IT, logistics, webmarketing, etc., thus the companies need them to stay on the cutting edge. The companies do not want to lose them and the company’s strategies to the competitors — in some instances, the difference between a successful business a failing one is marginal.
The employees view the consultants as morale and team building experts (not personal praise consultants) — thus they readily accept their encouragement.
Kathy,
I do not know where you sign up to be such a consultant. It appears that many are coming from within the HR field and are given creative titles such as team coach, entry mentor, success leader, etc.
Hm. I wonder if there is a correlation to these companies who do this and the employees’ lack of church attendance/membership. That would be an interesting study.
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