By Tina Rowe
“Praise in public, correct in private” sounds like great advice. Publilius Syrus said it in 35 B.C.: “Admonish your friends privately, but praise them openly.” Catherine the Great, in the 18th Century, said, “I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.” (Although her idea of blaming was usually an execution.) The most frequent attribution is to the great football coach, Vince Lombardi, who wrote, as part of an explanation about building a team, “Praise in public; criticize in private.” (Coach Lombardi was referring to how he responded to interview questions about the wins and losses of the team.)
The axiom is certainly true in some situations:
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