Should the Devil wear Prada? The power of recognition

Have you seen the movie ‘The Devil wears Prada’?

Should the Devil wear Prada? The power of recognition (F)
Woman winning award – Via Shutterstock

It is about a successful woman who treats her staff like slaves, insulting their work and their efforts on every occasion. For some reason, her employees continue to work for her, putting up with her demeaning remarks, because she holds a powerful position in the fashion industry.

The movie is meant to be funny, but with a huge apology to Anne Hathaway and Meryl Steep, I never really saw the humour. Why is it fun to watch a bully take advantage of good people, simply because they can? Even worse is the statement that the Devil makes on successful women in the fashion/beauty industry. Whilst there are definitely some devils, I have met countless wonderful, successful women in the industry.

The funny part is that these type of leaders (men & women) are doing far more damage than good for their companies. Because they are failing to recognise the most powerful motivational tools available to the modern business world:

The power of recognition.

The need to be valued is a basic human need, and yet it is often overlooked in the workplace. Everyone needs to hear that they are appreciated at work. And almost everyone becomes even more driven when they feel valued. I truly believe that people who feel good and believe in their skills will outperform anyone who is in constant doubt of their work.

In one of my recent training courses, I encouraged a woman to stand up in front of a crowd and speak for the very first time. When she was done, the class went wild with encouragement and praise. Words like ‘Incredible’ ‘Impressive’ ‘Inspirational’ were feedback to her. Because of their reinforcement, she continued to speak in front of us and continued to try and get better at a skill that had once petrified her. Imagine if the opposite had happened….If after she spoke, no one said a word, or even worse, she was insulted? She would most likely never try again, wasting an opportunity for her voice to be heard.

The Devils days are numbered. We need to be encourage each other with sincerity. We must do this as bosses to keep our staff loyal, energised and productive. We must do this as mothers to help our children become strong and well adjusted. We do this as human beings because the world is full of different types of people, all of whom can add value to the world in different ways.

It is time for the Devil to remove her Prada, and wear nothing but old, dirty rags. She does not deserve luxury labels.

About Janet Tarasofsky

janet tarasofskyJanet offers corporate & private training sessions, Keynote speeches and Webinar training. Janet is an award winning speaker determined to help people communicate in a new generation. Through exploring diverse perspectives, she ‘DARES’ the audience to open their mind and explore more productive ways to engage with each other.

Janet also leads training courses that help businesses travel more comfortable between the blurred lines of communication. She is well known for increasing employee retention, and improving both internal and external working relationships.

Janet has 20 years’ experience in the consumer goods industry developing and marketing products around the globe. She has worked for small and large size businesses and created over 500 products in her career, which can only be done with effective communication.

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