Want your managers to be seen as more effective?

Guide them towards dishing out WAY more positive feedback.

Research shows that people see leaders as more effective when they give praise. Obviously the feedback of a job well done should be given with more specifics rather than a vague pat on the back. And just as importantly, it needs to be sincere, meaningful, and heartfelt.

Consider my 4 reasons why your managers may not be giving enough positive reinforcement and read about different mindsets necessary to ensure they deliver consistent and regular praise.

1. “Why should I praise them for simply doing their job?” Simply because you will get more of the same and even better performance, plus more job satisfaction. A survey by OfficeTeam revealed that nearly half of workers would likely leave their position if they didn’t feel appreciated by their manager. Please show some appreciation!
2. “I don’t want the feedback being a signal that they can start coasting.” How about assuming the opposite? Gallup’s Q5 states that one sign that you’ve improved employee engagement is when an employee can positively answer, “My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.” What better way to recognizing an employee than with praise? When something is working, give praise and recognition. It shows you care. And watch even more discretionary effort come forward.
3. “I need to come across strong, not a best friend.” Giving someone a compliment or, in this case, positive reinforcement is not about being a best friend. Rather it’s being a decent human being. If this is your concern, perhaps it has more to do with not setting boundaries in other areas. Think again. Isn’t recognizing someone simply the right thing to do?
4. “I don’t have time to coddle my team members.” Personal, meaningful and informal praise hardly takes any time. A thoughtful three-minute compliment can go a long way toward sustainable performance. It takes about as much time as reading and deleting an email, which has much less value to offer.

The best way to help teams grow and develop is to provide quality feedback and to know how to praise someone the way they want to be praised. Have your managers learn some tricks and tools to prioritize praise and integrate the giving of quality, individualized feedback as a normal part of their job at our Providing Essential Performance Feedback Workshop. Then watch performance and engagement soar!

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