Praising your team doesn’t need to be a structured recognition program. In fact, some experts might argue the informal, genuine one-on-one gestures of appreciation go far further in terms of effectiveness. A concerted and constant effort to praise employees for a job well done, a successful project or grace under pressure will yield better performance and less employee turnover. Here are three things to keep in mind when you let your team know you appreciate their efforts:
Leave out the constructive stuff. It may be tempting to throw in a “Next time …” or “You might want to think about …” but resist. Recognizing the act that earned the praise is essential, not critiquing, Jeff Haden writes in an article at CEO.com. “Leave the mentoring and performance improvement coaching for later.”
Praise specific behaviors that drive results, says Walter Oelwein at ManagerByDesign.com. A good example: “Great job on the presentation — you kept it succinct and it got the key points out in a timely fashion. It kept the audience interest up, and I think that we’re closer to reaching the sale,” he writes. Vague praise, such as: “Everything you do is amazing!” may indicate you have no idea what that employee does. It just doesn’t mean as much as a specific accolade.
Timing is everything. Praise should be immediate. “Your words won’t carry as much impact if you wait until two weeks after Bob’s presentation to tell him what a good job he did,” Ann Frederick writes in an article at SmallBusinessChron.com. Also, be sure you aren’t adding extra work to an employee or asking them to put in extra work time after praising them. Let the praise stand on its own.
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