Monday, December 3, 2018

A Conversation with Leadership

"Praise in Public, Punish in Private."

Public recognition is a huge motivating force for employees.  It has the desired effect of reinforcing positive behavior.  Employees will feel more connected to, and valued by, the organization.  It will result in measurable elevation of the employee's motivation to achieve more in the future.  It will create a culture of feedback.

How we communicate, as well as what we communicate, when reprimanding an employee is critical.  Receiving criticism is difficult and oftentimes the receiver is put on the defensive.  When an employee is reprimanded in public, it is damaging and embarrassing for everyone involved.  At the very least, the manager is exhibiting bullying behavior by publicly shaming the employee.  The goal of constructive criticism is to help the employee understand how to become a more effective employee and to motivate the employee to self-correct the behavior deficiency.   Nothing can damage trust and morale quicker than a manager criticizing an employee in a public forum.

Feedback is a powerful way to interact with employees.  Set the tone from the top.

Tips:  

Avoid over-use of positive feedback to cushion the blow before delivering criticism. It degrades the value of the praise.

In private, clearly communicate what is being done wrong and be prepared to provide ideas on how to fix it.


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