Although all of us like to be recognised and receive praise for a job well done, managers in the workplace often underestimate how effective praise can be as a motivator. MRI scans have shown that receiving praise triggers the same regions of the brain as receiving a cash bonus, which means it can motivate people in a similar way.
While praising your employees doesn’t carry the same expectation as a cash bonus, it does make your employees feel good about their work, which can be a strong motivator. And when employees are motivated, it leads to higher productivity in the workplace as well as a boost in morale and job satisfaction.
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So, how can managers praise their team members more effectively to achieve such results? Here are 6 things to keep in mind:
Praise for Achievements, Not Ability
While it may seem encouraging to be told that you are good at something, Columbia University’s Dr. Heidi Halvorson says that this can leave people vulnerable to self-doubt. “If being successful means you are ‘a natural,’ then it’s easy to conclude when you’re having a hard time that you just don’t have what it takes.” Instead, she says we should praise the things that are under our control. “Praise the process, not the person. That way, when an employee runs into trouble later on, they’ll remember the process that helped them to succeed in the past, and put that knowledge to good use.”
Be Spontaneous
Many managers give out praise as part of a daily routine, but it doesn’t take long for people to realise this. The result? The praise soon loses its meaning and no longer remains effective as a powerful motivator. Instead, be spontaneous with your praise. While expected praise is good, unexpected praise is always far more effective.
Be Specific
Instead of telling a team member that they did well, tell them what they did well and how it led to a good result. When you’re specific in this manner, you make it clear what about the employee’s process was effective, allowing them to recreate it again and again in the future.
Offer Praise—Even Amidst Failure
Praise your employees even when, despite their best efforts, things don’t go as planned. It’s during these times that praising an employee for their effort has the most impact, as it will help them to stop dwelling on their failure and restore some of their self-confidence. This allows them to get their head back in the game and double their efforts at making a comeback, whereas employees who are allowed to stay in a mindset of low morale might spend longer periods of time being unproductive or ineffective at their jobs.
Don’t Mix Praise with Criticism
Trying to mix praise with constructive criticism will greatly undermine your praise’s effectiveness. This is because people have a strong bias towards remembering negative things, so in the long term your employees are far more likely to remember the criticism than the praise. As a general rule, always make sure that your praise and criticism doesn’t go hand in hand and are completely separate from each other.
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Strike a Balance
Although some employees will be more praiseworthy than others, only praising certain people in the workplace will leave others feeling neglected and demotivated. Instead, try to praise all your employees at some point or another, even if it’s for some small achievement or just a job well done. Doing so will make them feel appreciated and leave them wanting to do well in the future.
Unlike monetary incentive, which is limited by your organisation’s budget and the expectations of your employees, there is no cost to giving praise, and it is very powerful as a motivator. It’s also a reinforcing process. The more praise you give your employees, the more motivated they will become, and the more praiseworthy achievements they will give you in the future.