Dale Carnegie Keep Up The Good Work: Why Managers Should Praise Their Employee’s Performance
Dale Carnegie Keep Up The Good Work: Why Managers Should Praise Their Employee’s Performance
Why Don’t Managers Take the Time to Celebrate Good Work?
I wish I had the answer to that one because celebrating good work should be just part of what managers do every day. Although it takes time and effort to make it meaningful and sincere, doing so not only shows appreciation for employees’ accomplishments, but it also motivates employees by instilling confidence and encouraging desired behaviors.
Yet in research we conducted recently only 37% of respondents strongly agreed with the statement that their manager celebrates team wins. And many fewer—only 28%—say their organization’s leadership celebrates collective achievements. That leaves plenty of room for improvement.
Managers Underestimate the Importance of Recognizing Employees’ Accomplishments
Giving honest, sincere appreciation is one of Dale Carnegie’s fundamental techniques for winning friends and influencing people. Why? Because sincere appreciation makes people feel valued, important, confident and connected, and when employees feel that way, they are more likely to be engaged.
Without sincere appreciation, employees might as well be working anywhere. According to our research, about 1 in 4 employees are looking for a new job now or in the next year. And of those leaving, 79% say it’s because they don’t feel appreciated.
But you have the power to keep that from happening. Recognizing and appreciating employees is one of three indispensable manager’s skills—and one you can learn, too. It takes practice, but the payoff is huge.
Actionable Tips for Recognizing and Rewarding Your Employee’s Good Work
• Be consistent – both in what efforts you praise and reward, and whom you are praising. Recognize each team member for accomplishments that are relatively equal in effort and importance and don’t leave anyone out.
• Make an effort to understand the type of recognition that each team member appreciates. Not everyone is comfortable with public praise, while other people feed on it.
• And make sure the reward and praise match the accomplishment. A shout out in a meeting, gift certificates, time off or just a pat on the back can all be meaningful, but they should be appropriate for the accomplishment.
To learn more about how to improve you or your managers’ skills and techniques for providing sincere praise and appreciation to employees, check out our whitepaper or training programs.
Written By
Mark Marone
Mark Marone, PhD. is the director of research and thought leadership for Dale Carnegie and Associates where he is responsible for ongoing research into current issues facing leaders, employees and organizations world-wide. He publishes frequently on various topics including leadership, the employee/customer experience and sales. Mark can be reached at mark.marone@dalecarnegie.com.
