“Great job! We couldn’t have done it without you!” “Excellent effort. Keep up the good work!” “Thumbs up all around, team!”
If such words of encouragement are heard often around your office/home, good job! Engaging your staff/family by regularly giving them positive feedback is probably one of the most important things you can do as a successful manager/parent. Recognizing good performances has a powerful impact on employees/family. It builds self-esteem, improves the quality of work and boosts office/home morale.
So the next time an employee/family member performs well, follow these 5 tips for showing your appreciation of a job well done:
- Be Specific – For the most impact, be as precise as you can with your praise. Rather than a simple “Great job!,” try saying something like: “I’m really impressed with the copy you wrote for the new company brochure. You’ve captured our voice perfectly!”
- Say It Often – Be as generous as possible with your feedback. Yes, you can recognize big accomplishments, just be sure to reward smaller efforts as well. Of course, don’t overdo it to the point where your feedback loses credibility. Simply be selective and sincere.
- Time Is Of The Essence – It’s important to be timely when issuing praise. If you wait too long to recognize an employee’s/family member’s good job, you may end up forgetting exactly what he/she did to earn it in the first place, and the person might think you didn’t notice at all.
- Go Beyond Results – For many projects, the results may not be visible for a while, or at the end, may not be positive; so applaud the effort involved instead. Offer encouragement by recognizing their hard work: “Excellent job with the presentation/project/homework assignment! I could see the client/teacher was impressed by your delivery. We’ve got a good shot at this because of your initiative!”
- Go Public – When giving someone positive feedback, it’s always nice for that person to have an audience. Use your discretion, of course. Sometimes the action may warrant gathering only one department/family member or it may be fitting to get the entire company together. And while you’re at it, give a general “Thumbs up, team/family!” to all present. Yes, it’s great to spread positive feedback all around the office/home.