How to use praise to motivate staff
Praising is a management skill that is simple, inexpensive, and inexhaustible. Praise rewards when reward is due. It builds a feeling of goodwill. It provides positive encouragement to continue good practice and creative endeavour. It has a ripple effect, providing deserved acknowledgement for the person who is performing well, and conveying to an entire staff that good work will be recognised. But it is important that the right kind of praise be given in the right way, at the right time, and for the right reasons...
1. Find something to praise in every staff member.
If a compliment can boost the spirit, lack of one from important people can hurt for a long time. People need praise. If you look hard enough, you’ll catch even your borderline employees doing something right. Compliment them on that action right there and then. If you get into the habit of doing that, you’ll see their performance improve.
2. Praise spontaneously and frequently, but only if warranted.
The sooner you praise people, the more it means to them. Spontaneous compliments are usually sincere; they reinforce the exhilaration the recipient feels in the first glow of success or accomplishment. But compliments can be short-lived. They tend to evaporate soon after they are received. That’s why people need them often. A word of warning, however. Undeserved praise rarely produces positive results. Not only do you lose credibility through its unjustified use, but over time your staff will begin to ask themselves, ‘If my boss keeps saying I’m doing so well, then why should I try any harder?’ A degree of rarity tends to increase the value of anything - even praise for a job well done.
3. Be specific with your praise.
Generalities are rarely as effective as specifics. Don’t simply say, ‘Well done!’ Say instead, ‘I’m really impressed with the way you led our discussions at today’s staff meeting. You must have been putting a lot of thought into your suggestions on budgeting. A first rate job!’ Tell people exactly what you liked about their work and, in that way, they’re more likely to repeat the behaviours that pleased you.
