Why gratitude is the sign of noble souls: praising predecessors

Few natural disasters have captured the collective imagination down the centuries like the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, AD 79. In the space of a few hours, the twin cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried in ash or burned to the ground as they were showered with molten rock. Anyone who has visited the ruins of these Roman enclaves in the Bay of Naples cannot fail to have imagined the terror the victims buried there must have felt.

The best direct account of the cataclysm is contained in a letter from Pliny the Younger, who was with his mother and uncle—Pliny the Elder—at their home in Misenum, a small town at the northwestern end of the bay. The first alert of the impending disaster was given by his mother, who noticed a large, unusually shaped cloud. Pliny the Younger explains, "its general appearance can best be expressed as being like an umbrella pine, for it rose to a great hunk on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches". The description is so accurate that to this day, eruptions with these characteristics are called Plinian.?

Pliny the Younger's letter was in reply to a request from the historian Tacitus about the death of his uncle. Therefore, rather than detailing his own experiences and feelings, or how he dealt with the catastrophe, he recounts the last hours of his uncle, based on his own and other people's testimonies. He explains how Pliny the Elder, as soon as he saw the suspicious cloud and received a request for rescue from a friend in Pompeii, led the triremes under his command—he was commander of the Roman fleet—along the coast. Having reached his destination, he exhibited extraordinary calm, encouraging those around him. "He was quite cheerful, or at any rate he pretended he was, which was no less courageous," wrote Pliny the Younger. So calm that he even took a nap in the middle of the eruption.

After several hours exposed to the fumes and heat, Pliny says his uncle asked for a glass of water, and returned to the fray. His body was found two days later, intact, as though he had fallen asleep.

The courage of Pliny the Elder and his crews helped save the lives of a good number of Pompeiians. Archaeologists believe that a majority of its inhabitants escaped the disaster, despite the many corpses found in molds of lava that had enveloped and burned the victims.

After recounting his uncle's deeds, Pliny the Younger concludes his letter with the words: "Meanwhile my mother and I were at Misenum, but this is not of any historic interest, and you only wanted to hear about my uncle's death. I will add no more."

Historians wish he had expanded his report, providing more details about the eruption, an experience that some of his countrymen considered the end of the world. But his story focuses solely on his uncle's exploits, prompting Umberto Eco to??write almost two millennia later: "One wonders whether Pliny the Younger would have preferred a reader who accepted the glorious conduct (merit of the Old Man) or one who understood the lionizing tale (merit of the Younger)."?

Leaving Vesuvius behind and moving forward to the present day, many of us will know someone who, when they tell a success story, whether personal or professional, give others the credit, playing down their own contribution: a noble, altruistic attitude, not unlike Pliny the Younger’s.

Paying tribute to the people who have preceded us in a position or who have worked with us shows generosity and magnanimity, important qualities for leaders, albeit ones that are rarely recognized, perhaps because many people consider them a reflection of naivety. But I believe that praising others, especially our predecessors, exhibits a finesse that allows us to connect with people and generate greater empathy, while at the same time projecting authenticity and grace.?

In contrast, the inability to praise, or taking credit for the efforts of others, makes colleagues wary. In my experience, it is a negative character trait that is quickly noticed by those around us. Given the speed with which we sum up and label people, a reflection of our defensive personality, failing to recognize the achievements of others or appropriating undue credit generates rejection and distrust in the workplace.

Sadly, praising our predecessors is rare, especially so by those who follow them into the highest positions in an organization. A characteristic of some newly appointed managers, which to me denotes a certain inferiority complex, is criticism or denial of what has been achieved prior to their arrival. I call this the Messiah syndrome, which in large and complex organizations is unfounded, unless the new manager comes in to resolve a truly chaotic situation. However, even then, if the entrants are smart, they will know that discretion is the better part of valor.?

The clean slate approach, putting everything that has been done before on hold, is a healthy exercise that can help generate new ideas, stimulate innovation, question prejudices or preconceived ideas, as well as encouraging "out of the box" thinking. However, in large organizations, where tradition and inertia are powerful forces, newcomers should be wary of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Few large companies have survived dramatic reversals of strategy.

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, believed that the Oedipus and Electra complexes drove young men and women to symbolically “kill” their fathers and mothers. In?Totem and Taboo?he uses the examples of tribes that had established rules to contain parricidal and incestuous tendencies, in his opinion rooted in the sexual impulse. Freud's work has been questioned over the years, but in the organizational environment it is common for people promoted to senior positions to emancipate and dissociate themselves from their predecessors.?

Newly appointed CEOs often change the corporate logo or the mission and vision statements, along with the organization of the C-suite, as well as making their own new appointments. That said, such changes are often superficial, and everybody in the organization knows it.?

At the other extreme is the Rebecca syndrome; anybody who has read Daphne Du Maurier’s novel or seen Hitchcock’s film of the same name will know what I mean. In the movie version, Joan Fontaine marries Laurence Olivier—a taciturn, widowed aristocrat by the name of Maxim de Winter. The newlyweds move into Manderley, the family home, but the second Mrs. de Winter is overwhelmed by her predecessor's imprint on the house, which is maintained by the intimidating housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who refuses to allow her new mistress to change anything, undermining her confidence at every turn.??

Younger managers may undergo similar experiences, especially if they succeed a prestigious, recognized professional who has left a mark on their organization. The important thing is not to give importance to any feelings of insecurity, which are normal, and above all avoid trying to emulate their predecessors, and much less to try to annul their memory.

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls,” wrote Aesop. In the long run, this approach always results in better personal development and recognition of leadership by those around you.

The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 took place the day after the feast the Romans celebrated in honor of Vulcan, the god of fire; a macabre coincidence. In those days, people hung their clothes under the sun, symbolizing the theological connection between Vulcan and the sun, lit candles at night to perpetuate the fire and continued the revelry with wine and food. The only consolation we are left with is that the victims of the eruption at least enjoyed life on the eve of its extinction.

------------------------

You may visit my INSTAGRAM account here