“Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.”

Now that is a ridiculous image. You get your sling ready. You put a stone in the projectile pocket. Then, right before firing it, you tie the stone in place. It makes no sense.

I have a six-year-old grandson. I ran the idea of tying the stone into the pocket by him. He thought I was the craziest old man he had ever known. Not entirely wrong—and in this instance, I had to agree.

I once watched as a national organization gave their presidential award to a staff member who everyone present knew was neither very effective nor particularly loyal. Later, I asked one of the selection team what they had based the award on. Their response was that they hoped, by giving the recognition, the man would become a better team player and maybe seek to elevate his performance out of appreciation for the honor. I shook my head as I walked away.

A year later, the person left the company, using the recognition to land a better position at a rival organization. Crazy all the way around. That might actually have worked to their advantage—but it certainly was not their plan.

In the same way that a slingshot with the stone tied in is useless, so is the foolish practice of elevating a poor employee. It just gets us stuck. Solomon surely remembered the great story of his father defeating Goliath with a stone in his sling. He wants us to effectively recognize and build up our teams.

Today, give recognition where it is earned. #BeTheEdge

“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” 1 Timothy 5:17 NIV