I agree completely. One of the biggest problems for anyone, anywhere, is the culture of praise that has developed. Nobody gets told their work is crap anymore, and when it is, it's in a compliment sandwich as you say.
There are many instances where I could have done with someone calling me out on something instead of fence sitting or bland agreement masked as praise.
The other problem is praise inflation : if everyone gets a 'good job' then it's difficult to know whether you're ahead of the pack or just middling.
As long it's not bullying, vindictive or just plain mean, negative criticism is worth 10x positive. It's also better to be drip fed negative feedback from trusted people, so when you get out into the real world, chances are you've heard any negative feedback before and are prepared for it.
In a strong individual hurt feelings are going to produce better outcomes. I'm sure that's why the military has boot camp.
There are many instances where I could have done with someone calling me out on something instead of fence sitting or bland agreement masked as praise.
The other problem is praise inflation : if everyone gets a 'good job' then it's difficult to know whether you're ahead of the pack or just middling.
As long it's not bullying, vindictive or just plain mean, negative criticism is worth 10x positive. It's also better to be drip fed negative feedback from trusted people, so when you get out into the real world, chances are you've heard any negative feedback before and are prepared for it.
In a strong individual hurt feelings are going to produce better outcomes. I'm sure that's why the military has boot camp.