Praise and recognition can have a powerful impact in the workplace — and on the flip side, criticism and negativity can, too. Constructive critical feedback has an important place in the growth and professional development, but appreciation and praise at work is just as important.
Effectively communicating appreciation has the potential to keep your team engaged, improve retention, boost performance, build trust, and strengthen relationships. Plus, acknowledging the efforts of others contributes to positive office culture and community. These tips ensure can help you deliver positive feedback by capitalizing on essential leadership and communication skills.
Be specific
Being acknowledged for a job well done has a way of lifting spirits and affirming our hard work. But generic language like the classic “nice job” can sometimes fall flat. Empty language does little to convey to employees or colleagues what’s working and what should continue.
Using specifics when providing praise helps us feel seen and names the key action we want to see more of. When giving a colleague a shout-out for timeliness on a project, identify the ways they contributed to the successful completion of a project. Did they stay after hours to finish up slides for a presentation? Did they take the lead on collaboration with co-workers to create meaningful materials? Or did they take extra time to get a newbie up to speed? Being specific with praise lets folks know what they’re doing right.
Recognize effort and results
Social media makes it possible to see impressive outcomes, but doesn’t always reveal the growth, challenge, and struggle behind the achievement. As such, it’s now easier than ever to default to impatience or frustration when goals are not accomplished immediately or when behavior change doesn’t happen overnight.
Effective leaders know this, and use positive recognition to fuel the fire of productivity in their team. By acknowledging incremental shifts at an individual level, successful managers send a message that the process is just as important as the end result. Be direct when someone’s effort is gold star “I’m so proud of the way you represented our organization during the foundation’s site visit, and I know this is the beginning of building a relationship with them. Your slide deck on our program outcomes was fantastic and I know we can re-use it for other funder meetings, too.”
Leaders who see when staff are making strides can boost morale by offering positive feedback in real time.
Default to “and” instead of “but”
Everyone has heard the dreaded “but.” It’s a three-letter word that negates all that came before. Think: “Thanks for sending the email, but you should not have included the executive director.” Or, “Great job on the grant proposal, but the funding numbers were off.” It’s a tiny word that can deflate just about anyone when it’s misused.
What may be meant to convey support and affirmation of one successful action instead comes off as criticism and critique. Instead, make it a habit to replace “but” with “and” so appreciation and validation is still clear. “You did a great job on that project budget and we need to take one last pass over the categories together before we submit it.”
This small shift in language can go a long way toward communicating support and admiration for a job well done while still offering directives on what may need to improve or change.
Be gracious in how you give and how you receive
Part of being an effective manager is modeling behavior. This is true when it comes to giving praise, but it’s also true when it comes to receiving it.
Being acknowledged for hard work, extra effort, and drive or dedication can sometimes be uncomfortable. Particularly when it means being singled out or thrown into the spotlight during morning meetings or post-work happy hours. Graciously accepting accolades as a leader shows those being managed that it’s okay to be praised, and reminds everyone on the team that hard work is celebrated and never goes unnoticed.
So don’t minimize your actions or shake off the positive praise. Instead, make eye contact, say thank you, and even appreciate the person delivering feedback for a contribution they’ve made to the team’s success. Being a leader who is able to accept gratitude fosters an environment that encourages others to say thanks openly, too.
[Adapted from content originally written and published for Idealist.org]