In Praise of Praise

Community Manager — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:56:00 GMT

Want an easy and completely free way to drive employee engagement and increase profit? Turns out that praise-the simple expression of appreciation and gratitude-boosts morale and employee engagement which in turn drive profitability and productivity.

Praise Be!

To be most effective, praise needs to be tailored properly. We are big believers in recognizing hard work, diligent effort and simple kindnesses. So we want to be sure to deliver our kudos in the best way possible. We like the tips in The Power of Praise in Business -- and How to Do it Right.

Do It Now: Closely link the delivery of praise to the timing of the accomplishment for maximum impact. Try not to let too much time pass before acknowledging effort and hard work.

Be Specific: Don't let a blanket "great job!" suffice. Spell out concrete details that demonstrate that you truly understand the effort that went into a project or a job. When you praise specific actions, you are more likely to see them repeated, creating a virtuous circle of excellent work.

Be Authentic: Praise needs to be heartfelt to be meaningful. Don't merely spout out platitudes or laud someone simply because you feel you should. When praise is rooted in true appreciation, it is easier to deliver and received more appreciatively.

Before we end, we leave you with a wonderful article on praise's close kin, the thank you. A sincere thank you delivered either by words or by gesture, elicits the same sense of appreciation and recognition for one's effort. Yet often we overlook those who are most deserving of our thanks. Read Who Should You Be Thanking? and never leave someone off the list again.

Do you make it a point to praise your coworkers? What is the best way to deliver praise? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Beyond Folders : productivity, praise

In Praise of Praise