Better say 'Thank You!'

Simply accepting praise can be SO HARD! I had an unhelpful pattern here, too (mine was No. 3️⃣ below). I am very grateful for one of my previous bosses who took me aside one day with a smile and said: “Just say THANK YOU, Maik. You don’t have to explain it.”

There are various ways how we sabotage ourselves. Do you recognize yours, if any?

1️⃣ Deflecting praise:

“Oh, it was nothing. Anyone could have done it."

2️⃣ Attributing success to luck:

“I just got lucky this time. It wasn't really because of my skills."

3️⃣ Minimizing the achievement:

“It's not that big of a deal. It was a simple task."

4️⃣ Shifting credit to others:

“I couldn't have done it without my team. They deserve the praise, not me."

5️⃣ Expressing self-doubt:

“Thanks, but I'm not sure if I really deserved it."

6️⃣ Focusing on imperfections:

“Thank you, but I made so many mistakes along the way."

7️⃣ Comparing themselves to others:

"Thanks, but I'm not as good as [another person]."

8️⃣ Dismissing the compliment:

“You're just saying that to be nice."

9️⃣ Self-deprecating humor:

“Thanks, I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day!"

🔟 Expressing discomfort:

“Thanks, but compliments make me feel awkward."

As always, self-awareness is the first step to improvement. It took me a while to just listen to a compliment, not doubt it, and then just responding with ‘Thank you’, without saying anything else for a moment.

Can you do it?

And if this does not apply to you, I hope this gives you more language to help others like the way my previous boss did.

Have a great week ahead!