|
Bumblebees can't fly, according to the science
of aerodynamics. But we've all seen bumblebees confound science.
Like bumblebees, employees can achieve far more than they appear
to be capable of if they are appreciated and complimented.
Near the top of the rewards sought by employees
from their jobs is the feeling that: "I'm making a contribution.
My job is important to the company." Compliments induce that feeling.
A common complaint of alienated employees is that
nobody notices them. Whether they work hard or they hardly work,
the response of their supervisors is the same-indifference. Some
bosses seem to live by the credo: "A word of praise shall never
pass MY lips."
But with compliments, a boss can develop a positive
self-image that the worker will strive to live up to, thereby activating
the classic self-fulfilling prophecy. Indeed, a supervisor's treatment
of an employee can transform a hardly productive employee into a
highly productive staff star.
The Power of Praise
"That was a great job, Jenny. I've never seen anybody
as creative and tireless as you."
"I enjoyed reading that report, Jim. You did your
homework, and I'm sure it'll pay off."
Words like these from the boss are sunshine on
a cold day, a chocolate eclair, and vacation all rolled up into
one. Judge from your own experience to evaluate the truth of this
statement.
Employees usually do what they believe is expected
to them. So, if a supervisor sets objectives and standards of superior
performance in a situation where such "expectations" didn't exist,
the result will be an increase in productivity.
Some 300 formal research projects proved that what
we expect of people usually becomes reality if we set realistic
objectives. In one project, two Harvard researchers tested nonverbal
IQs of students in an elementary school and randomly labeled 20
percent of them as "intellectual bloomers."
What happened? At the end of the school year, the
"bloomers" achieved significantly greater progress than their classmates,
including improved IQ scores. The researchers said that their teachers
anticipated superior performance and treated them as if they would
achieve more.
Marginal performers achieve much more if they believe
that their supervisor believes they can. But high-potential individuals
can fail miserably if they think their boss believes they'll fail.
So, praise is worth considering. After all, it
costs nothing for a manager to open his or her mouth and to let
compliments come out.
How to Do It
The power of praise and compliments-less tangible
than computers, capital improvements, and TV advertising though
they may be-can be applied in these ways to boost staff productivity:
-
1. Express confidence repeatedly in individuals
and in the entire staff.
-
2. Enthusiastically introduce new employees
as people with potential.
-
3. Evaluate positively and with empathy.
-
4. Compliment employees regularly, frequently.
-
5. Use employee evaluations as a chance for
you and the employee to get to know each other better and for
you to convey a constructive estimate of the employee's performance
matched against admittedly high standards.
-
6. Keep nonverbal messages positive. For
example, call on all employees during a meeting. Don't ignore
one of them and call on all others.
Compliment with gusto. "Faint praise," as it is
called, sometimes is interpreted by an employee as the result of
a laborious effort to find SOMETHING good to say.
Instead of just walking by an employee and never
slowing your pace while you toss off a hardly heard "Good job,"
stop, look the employee in the eye, and say: "Bruce, FanTAStic job. Really liked it."
And if you invite Bruce into the office to convey
your compliment, then you're a master manager. You will have earned
greater productivity and effectiveness for nothing more than a compliment.
Compliment imaginatively. Write letters, and send them to employees
at home. You might write: "Thanks for all your work while I was
gone, Bill. I appreciate it very much. I felt good about having
you take care of things."
Perhaps you can "imagine" other communications
dictated by the nature of your business or by social mores.
Finally, to put yourself in a praising frame of
mind, routinely praise yourself: "Say, hey, I'm worth something.
My personal worth is measured by my contribution to this company
not just by the size of my paycheck."
Remember: Employees who aren't flying now can be
motivated to fly. Often it takes only sincere compliments to multiply
staff productivity. |
