Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Give Your Officers A Little More Praise

"Hereafter, if you should observe an occasion to give your officers and friends a little more praise than is their due, and confess more fault than you can justly be charged with, you will only become the sooner for it, a great captain. Criticizing and censuring almost everyone you have to do with will diminish friends, increase enemies, and thereby hurt your affairs."

Benjamin Franklin in a note to Captain John Paul Jones

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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 28, 2011 at 5:42 AM

    Although I've never read this quote before (most likely due to my OWN ignorance) this is great advice for any leader. My experience suggests this approach creates an unmatched degree of loyalty such that when the situation demands, results beyond the Commander's expectations will be achieved. Humility in Command can never be overemphasized.

    Thanks, Mike!

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  2. James HammerslaDecember 29, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    Does anyone know the context of the note from Franklin? Was it in response to a specific incident or just a friendly note with a pearl of wisdom packed in there?

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  3. Mike LambertDecember 29, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    @ James

    This was Benjamin Franklin admonishing JPJ for taking all the credit for himself for success at sea and sharing none of it with others. JPJ had mastered the politics of the Navy and seafaring like no other man before him. He was detested by many. Check out Stephen Howarth's book "To Shining Sea".

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  4. Justin Rogers ENS, USN (1170)January 7, 2012 at 12:03 AM

    Please do not snuff the magic of our man JPJ!! We do not need praise, only respect. We should CELEBRATE JPJ's Bold leadership!!!!

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