Aubrey Daniels wrote an outstanding book years ago entitled Bringing Out The Best in People.
I thought of it this week when viewing a parent and his son on the tennis court. The boy must have been ten or so and was small for his age. The dad towered over him at six foot three.
Their workout was intense.
The dad was unbelieving when the boy didn’t perform to the expectations that he held for him. There was no physical abuse but the ranting was over the top.
I’m pretty sure if someone secretly videotaped this workout, the camera would not show the boy smiling even once….and the number of encouraging comments from the dad would be zero.
Maybe the book is still available.
It shows clearly the value of positive reinforcement and makes the case that negative comments and high expectations are like a gas can and a match.
What You’re Saying