Not unhappy
August 10, 2006As far as I can tell, my boss is universally liked by those who work with her. She’s intelligent, industrious, organized, and respectful of others…. But there’s got to be more to it than that, right?
One of her other traits, which might seem like a liability, is her reluctance to offer strong, direct praise or criticism. I think one big advantage of this approach is that it makes her coworkers feel that they are being treated fairly and equally; nobody gets picked on repeatedly, and nobody receives conspicuous compliments that could make others jealous.
Given the lack of explicit thumbs-up or thumbs-down judgments, I’ve learned to be on the lookout for less direct feedback. Yesterday my boss said in passing that she was “not unhappy” with my research progress this summer.
I shouldn’t overinterpret this comment, but I’m not unhappy about it.
My Track Record 
"But there's got to be more to it than that, right?"