In a Gallup poll of 2,000 workers, 69% said praise and recognition from their bosses is more motivating than money. Four out of five workers said recognition or praise motivates them to do a better job. Despite this, most workers feel they are not properly recognized nor praised.
Studies by the US Army show soldiers improve their performance 90% of the time when praised and 30% of the time when criticized. But officers in the US Army still prefer to criticize and rarely praise anyone.
This principle proved itself once with a failing business that could not pay its staff. Instead of laying off employees or borrowing money to cover payroll, the new owner used validation and acknowledgment as pay. Every staff member stayed on board without financial pay for nearly two months. The morale of the group was tremendous. The operation became profitable and the staff was rewarded with money.
Thanking employees is an effective management technique. Every manager and executive must know how to show appreciation to deserving staff members. Good acknowledgements encourage better results and increased production.
Staff can also boost their own success by properly thanking their bosses and coworkers. If your leader and teammates do better, you do better. For example, successful sports teammates are constantly approving and encouraging each other, the louder the better. Enthusiasm is contagious.
Thanking people in your family and also your friends can also create interesting results.
You can thank people in many ways.
Eight Ways to Thank People
1. Verbally and directly thank the person. Get the person’s attention, look them in the eye and thank them. “Pat, thanks for straightening out those files.”
2. Explain WHY you appreciate what the person did. Be specific: “I like how you used the coloured folders to make it easier for us to find files.” “Ever since you upgraded my computer, I get my work done much faster! Thank you.”
3. Give indirect praise. For example, compliment one person about another person. “Bob sure did a good job fixing my car!” “You know, Mary is one of the best friends I’ve ever had.” “I think our boss is a fantastic manager.”
4. Defend the person. “You said Chris is too much of a perfectionist, but no one can organize things like she does.” “If one of us was the boss, we’d have to be tough too.” “Maybe you should say that to his face, not behind his back.”
5. Ask for the person’s help, opinions or ideas. Asking for advice shows that you trust the person and value their intelligence. “Where is the best place to eat lunch?” “Could you give me your thoughts on what kinds of marketing we could do for the practice?”
6. Compliment achievements. Become happy, even excited, about the person’s accomplishment. “Wow, straight A’s on your studies!” “That was amazing how fast you got that newsletter designed and put together.” “Well done on handling that upset client so well. She was very happy when she left.”
7. Bonus systems based on increased productivity are always a crowd pleaser with staff and give them a sense of acknowledgement for job well done.
8. Physical contact is good. Handshakes, shoulder pats and even hugs can communicate your appreciation quickly and effectively.
Give it a try and thank several people today and see what happens. Keep doing it until it is an automatic reflex and feels totally natural.
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