Kindness has unlimited upside
Hargadon Hall, a dorm at Princeton named for Fred A. Hargadon, Princeton's Dean of Admission from 1988 to 2003.
Paying someone a compliment costs next to nothing. Zero dollars. Almost no investment of time or energy.
We sometimes think nice things about other people. When we think those nice things, we should say them more often.
Out loud.
To the person.
If the person is in London and we’re in Los Angeles, that’s okay. We should email, call, or text.
Fred Hargadon was a college dean of admission for over almost 40 years. First, at Swarthmore College from 1964 to 1969. Then at Stanford from 1969 to 1984. And he spent the last chapter of his career at Princeton, from 1988 to 2003.
Around campus, everyone called him Dean Fred.
Dean Fred believed in the power of small gestures. Remembering names. Writing notes. Giving compliments freely. A generation of students remember him for his personal touches.
The New York Times once called him “the dean of deans.” In 2007, Princeton named a dorm after him. Hargadon Hall.
Dean Fred touched a lot of lives. And he once said, “The most treasured gifts in the world are kind words spontaneously rendered.”
We should compliment others more. Especially if we’re in a relative position of power or authority. The other person may carry our compliment with them and occasionally draw strength from it. Maybe for the rest of their life.
It doesn’t go without saying.
And kindness has unlimited upside.
