“Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth – a stranger, not your own lips.”

If we ever wonder what we can do to make a real difference at work, it is simple; just learn how to praise forward. What is this praise forward thing, you ask? In business we don’t praise forward, we only praise backward. We don’t recognize what could happen and be done, we instead only praise and recognize and praise after the results are in and the tally counted. We have a very difficult time in wanting to move forward and provide praise before the actuals can be counted? But why? In business we are afraid about getting ahead of ourselves and providing praise on others when we don’t know if we will be associated with those who succeed or those who fail. Maybe we become afraid to be tagged by association. The truth is that if we praise forward, and we are wrong that we still move forward because we have encouraged and tried to prop up others. While it is sometimes hard to help and support others it is this that moves others forward. Companies and organizations that appreciate and recognize those who that praise forward will be the companies that progress.

As believers, we are the first to be the ones who should praise forward. We are not to be the ones who seek, look for, or expect our own praise. If it comes from others then it is nice to receive, but this is not what we should expect or need to receive. We of all people are not to be the ones who want to receive any praise. What we do from day to day, or what we expect to happen from our actions, we should never be ones who keep score from the praise we might receive, even when we think we deserve it. The only praise we ever should want is from God Himself when we stand before Him and thank Him for the privilege and honor to have served Him to our best and fullest capacity.

Reference: Proverbs 27:2 (New Living Testament)