"PRAISE LOUDLY, BLAME SOFTLY"
- Catherine the Great
In a Leadership position, the pressure to perform is ceaseless.
Hitting your numbers. Achieving your goals. Meeting your
metrics. That's what's expected quarter after quarter.
But, why is the race getting more intense? Why does each day
seem like a perpetual revved-up Indianapolis 500? And, why is it
that the pressure you are getting from above, that you send below
and place within, seems to be getting "louder, longer, meaner"?
That's what Aubrey Daniels, in his performance management bible
Bringing Out the Best in People, contends. We're all hearing and
sending the same messages:
Work harder.
Work faster.
Work smarter.
Be more creative.
Take more initiative.
And, if we don't get the desired results, we tell the same people
again, usually the same thing. This time a little louder, or
longer, or perhaps a little meaner.
Is this sounding vaguely familiar?
If so, it's probably the right time for a quickie refresher on
the ONE unbelievably simple thing you can do as a leader to keep
your peoples' momentum and engagement soaring and ease the strain
of relentless pressure.
PRAISE A Management Tool
Honest, genuine praise.
The stuff that NONE of us gets nearly enough of.
Especially those sitting in the board room.
The Power of Positive Praise: Fast Facts
* The number-one reason people leave their jobs: They don't feel
appreciated.
* Sixty-five percent (65%) of Americans received no recognition
in the workplace last year.
* Bad bosses could increase the risk of stroke by 33%.
* A study found that negative employees can scare off every
customer they speak with -- for good.
* Nine out of 10 people say they are more productive when
they're around positive people.
* Extending longevity: Increasing positive emotions could
lengthen life span by 10 years.
Performance Management Tip -- Be Nice: It's Good for Business
In their book How Full is Your Bucket, co-authors Tom Rath and
Don Clifton draw on Gallup research and millions of interviews to
show that positive give-and-take leads to higher worker
satisfaction and productivity and a happier world. Most of us
already recognize that fact. What we seem to forget is that we
can deliberately choose to make our interactions positive or
negative. And, we have twenty thousand moments in a given day,
according to Rath, to exercise that choice. If 65% of people
received no recognition for good work in their workplaces,
clearly, there aren't enough positive moments or interactions
happening in the workplace.
The financial aspects of positivity are just as compelling, says
Rath. "Gallup polling has revealed that 99 out of 100 people say
they want a more positive environment at work, and 9 out of 10
say they're more productive when they're around positive people.
Employees who report receiving recognition and praise within the
last seven days show increased productivity, get higher scores
from customers, and have better safety records. They're just more
engaged at work. On the other hand, people who are actively
disengaged -- employees who are not only unhappy with their own
roles, but are also scaring customers off -- cost the economy
between $250 billion and $300 billion a year. And when we add
injury, illness, turnover, and other factors associated with
negativity or active disengagement, the cost could be closer to a
trillion dollars, and that's nearly 10% of the U.S. GDP."
The Bottom Line: What Positive Leaders Achieve
Indeed, the litmus test of a positive leader is the esprit de
corps he creates with his troops, says the Gallup folks. Positive
leaders deliberately increase the flow of positive emotions
within their organization. They choose to do this not just
because it is a "nice" thing to do for the sake of improving
morale, but because it leads to a measurable increase in
performance. Studies show that organizational leaders who share
positive emotions have workgroups with:
• A more positive mood
• Enhanced job satisfaction
• Greater engagement
• Improved performance
What differentiates positive leaders from the rest? Instead of
being concerned with what they can get out of their employees,
positive leaders search for opportunities to invest in everyone
who works for them. They view each interaction with another
person as an opportunity to increase his or her positive
emotions.
Shary Hauer’s Executive Coaching ADVICE: Five Strategies to
Vibrate Resonance
In Management Training, did anyone tell you that one of your top
jobs as leader is Climate Control Officer? That means you have to
keep a constant look-out to reduce negativity, fear, apathy,
silent compliance and other dissonant signals seeping into your
organization. Know how to read the engagement levels of your
team. Are you picking up on low energy signals? Tune in more
closely to your team's "emotional register" and find ways to
amplify an upbeat, positive climate.
Here are several strategies to help you keep a constant look-out
for opportunities to reinforce positive behavior and performance:
1. Prevent "Bucket Dipping": Increase your own awareness of how
often your comments are negative. How much "bucket filling" do
you do compared to others? Do you have low impact, some impact,
or high impact on your environment? To find out, take the quick
Positive Impact Assessment: http://gx.gallup.com/dipper.gx
2. Track Your Positive/Negative Ratio. Think about your most
recent inter-actions with others. Were they more positive or more
negative? Did you give someone a compliment, or did you choose to
make a negative comment instead? Work toward a ratio of five
positive comments to every one negative comment. Check out
http://www.bucketbook.com/content/default.aspx?ci=12214 for an
Interaction Scorecard to tally your positive/negative comments.
3. Shine the Light on What Is Right. Focus MORE on what your
people or peers do right rather than where they need improvement.
Don't underestimate the power of reinforcing good behaviors.
4. Know Your People's Preference. To help you make each positive
interaction individualized and specific, take a look at the
questions in the Bucket Filling Interview Guide:
http://www.bucketbook.com . My favorite questions include: What
increases your positive emotion or "fills your bucket" the most?
From whom do you most like to receive recognition or praise? What
form of recognition motivates you the most? What is the greatest
recognition you have ever received?
5. Target Your Praise. Rather than the vague "great job!", be
specific as possible with your praise. Target your praise to
specific accomplishments, and not to general work. It is better
to say, "Sue, that presentation you made this morning was very
thorough and informative." vs. "Sue, you are a great employee to
have around." Here are some more ways to help you give praise
with more ease and impact: "John, I really liked the way you...";
"Thank you for....; "Linda, I noticed that when you...";
"Robin, you did a great job of..."; "It was terrific that
you...Tom".
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