Be Specific When Praising: Fast Feedback Tip
Wondering why your praise isn’t getting results? Take this quick quiz.
Quick quiz:
Does your feedback sound like this:
You’re doing a great job Joe! Keep it up!
Or this:
Thanks for working an extra hour the last 3 nights to finish up that tough project. Now that it’s out on time, our customers will be 31% more efficient, which will make the firm as a whole more profitable.
When someone on your team does something well, instead of a generic attaboy or attagirl, or look for the specific quality that was done well and thank them for that, along with it’s impact to the bottom line. Focus on the behavior exhibited instead of the person as a whole, and you’ll be much more successful with your praise. Specific feedback leads to specific results.
Thanks to Eric Eggerston for reminding me about this important management tip.
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POSTED IN: Phil Gerbyshak, Rewards, management hack, principles
5 opinions for Be Specific When Praising: Fast Feedback Tip
Miki
Jun 21, 2008 at 11:00 am
Great tip, Phil and Eric, specificity is the difference between authentic appreciaton and lip-service.
But even lip-service can be better than nothing.
Eric Eggertson
Jun 21, 2008 at 6:19 pm
First sign of a spam comment: “Nice post!” without any further elaboration.
Same goes for feedback to the people you work with. Nobody wants to behave like a spammer, especially with co-workers you depend upon.
Miki
Jun 21, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I have to disagree. When it comes to managers or team leaders even letters addressed to “occupant” help. When people are beaten down anything has value. NOT the way to manage for strong morale and high productivity, but, as an engineer once said to me when accepting an offer from my client, “I wonder if my boss will notice I’m gone, I don’t think he even knows my full name.” Sad and more common than you think.
Scott
Jun 23, 2008 at 2:47 am
I have to agree that the praise should be specific but also close to the time that it occured. From what I have read in leadership books, praise is something we all crave but seldom give.
What would you do with $1000?
Sep 29, 2008 at 4:50 pm
[…] notes are a very effective way to let your team know you care, especially if you offer them with specific praise. 40 thank you notes means 5 thanks per person. That’s another $25 […]
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