Years ago, I observed a boss of mine who had a habit of smiling, praising and pouring on accolades to peers in his midst. However, when his peer left, his demeanor changed, and he would begin slandering and revealing his true disdain for each of them.
This had a big impact on me, because when I was with him, he would often praise me to the people in the room. I began imagining the awful things he probably said about me after I’d left the room.
His actions undermined the trust I had in him and caused me to approach our relationship with caution.
Proverbs 10:18 teaches, “Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.”
False praise will be found out. Saying nothing is better than lies.