In Praise of Praise
One natural strength of the Type B manager is the tendency to connect well with others and be generous with praise. That’s not to say all Type A’s are parsimonious with praise, as there are of course many who will reward and recognize as quickly as anyone. But there’s also a tendency for some Type A’s to be so wrapped up in their work that they just don’t take the time to provide that recognition. In the business world, praise is powerful and underutilized. From a management perspective, it requires minimal effort and no cost yet can be a highly effective motivator.
Recognition takes multiple forms. It can be monetary, it can be a formal performance-related program, or it can be simple words of praise or encouragement or a pat on the back from a manager. Companies tend to spend a great deal of time setting up often-complicated recognition programs. While these can be helpful, my own belief is what’s really most needed is well-trained managers who provide praise, where appropriate, on a regular basis. Effective praise doesn’t need to be elaborate or formal, just sincere. Frank is better than fancy.
Naturally praise shouldn’t be dispensed carelessly when not deserved. That helps no one and only undermines managerial credibility. But in my experience, the business issue was hardly ever too much praise, but too little. Here are extremely simple reasons why it pays for managers to praise:
It costs nothing. Unlike many bonus programs, which can be highly valued by employees but have a huge price tag, the cost of verbal praise is always the same: zero dollars and zero cents.
It requires little effort. “Thank you.” “Great job.” “I really appreciated your work on that project.” All of these take less than ten seconds to say. Maybe at most a couple minutes when you include some related follow-up conversation. (Again, my assumption is always that the praise is deserved or you wouldn’t be giving it.) It’s a modest investment of managerial time and energy that can pay significant dividends in employee morale.
It makes employees feel good. Always preferable from a productivity standpoint to have employees feeling good, rather than underappreciated and resentful.
When employees feel good, they work harder. Feeling valued is an effective motivator; positive morale raises energy levels right away.
Net-net, there’s nothing for management to gain by withholding praise and recognition when it’s genuinely warranted. One intriguing piece of employee research found that recognition is often a more powerful motivator than money.1 More than 70 percent of survey respondents reported that their most meaningful recognition at work had no dollar value. While this dynamic may be less true at more senior levels where financial rewards steeply escalate, it’s well worth bearing in mind at lower and middle organizational levels, where most employees reside and where the broadest productivity gains can be made.
Managing others is hard but not always complex. The praise situation is an unusually simple one. The fact that praise from management is so fundamental, with the benefits so greatly outweighing the costs, makes it surprising that individual managers and entire organizations get it so consistently wrong. As we’ve seen, multiple studies show that the single most important factor influencing employee engagement is an employee’s relationship with his or her direct manager. Given this reality, the quality of that relationship is of crucial importance. However a relationship develops, and no matter the nature of the business, there’s nothing for a manager to gain by being “emotionally stingy.” It’s in everyone’s best interests to make thoughtful praise a key component of the managerial mix.
Management Insight
Well-placed praise is one of the simplest but most powerful tools managers have. Cost is small, benefits large. Type B managers who relate well to others are by nature well suited to provide praise effectively.