“After sex and money what people want most is praise and recognition.” - Mary Kay Ashe
Decorum prevents us from delving into the initial sentiment of the above quote, however, we could discuss for a long time the benefits and extremely low cost of praise and recognition.
Certainly, leaders who effectively deliver praise and who recognize their team members’ positive contributions, experience enhanced results at almost no cost. Despite the obvious benefits of positive reinforcement, more leaders than not have trouble with delivering meaningful praise and recognition. The major stumbling blocks to sharing praise and recognition are typically leaders that feel they are too busy to share it, and/or a lack of focus.
There is not enough space here to delve into the variety of tools that can be used by leaders to manage their time better and to enjoy a clearer focus, but we can, at least, share our favorite tip on the topic of praise, as well as identify several types of recognition and briefly describe each.
Tip of the day (we all know it, but it’s tough to execute it consistently): “Praise publicly and punish privately.”
Types of praise and recognition:
- Non-monetary – verbal praise, thank you notes, positive emails that are proactive.
- Small monetary – movie tickets, gift certificates, candy bars or bananas (write a brief note directly on the peel of the fruit and call it a bananagram).
- Monetary – Larger gift certificates, time off, or weekend getaways.
Whether you know it or not, the people you lead are, more than likely, thirsting for praise and recognition. Now, go catch somebody doing something right!
The information that is unveiled will more than likely surprise you. Good luck!