Giving favors needs to be thin and thick, and establishing authority is appropriate to be strict before being lenient.
"Grace should be thin and thick, and if it is thick and then thin, people will forget its favor; authority should be strict and wide, and if it is wide and then strict, people will complain of its coolness." This quote is from Hong Yingming's "Caigen Tan - General Introduction".
The meaning of this saying is: if you give favors to people, you should start from light to strong; if you start strong and then gradually become thin, people will easily forget your favors; if you build up your prestige, you should be strict first and then tolerant; if you are tolerant first and then strict, people will resent your harshness.
The same is true of the meaning of the phrase "to show favor is to be thin and thick, and to establish authority is to be strict and then broad". You can't give too much favor at once; if you give less favor later, people will forget the favor you once gave. The principle of establishing authority is to be strict before being lenient, and if you are lenient first and then gradually become more strict, then your subordinates will hate you for being cold and unfeeling.
Expanded:
1, there is a "first cause effect" in psychology. Also known as the first impression effect, refers to the interaction between the two sides of the formation of the first impression of the future relationship between the influence of the relationship, that is, the "preconceived" effect. Although these first impressions are not always correct, but is the most distinct, the most solid.
2, the proximate cause effect and the opposite of the first cause effect, refers to the last meeting in the relationship to the impression left by the person, this impression in the mind of the other party will also remain for a long time.
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