Celebrate Success!
Celebrate Success!
02/18/20 Laura Gibbons
*Make a sincere effort. Praise needs to be genuine to be effective. Be thoughtful in your compliments or they will lose their meaning. Put other way; don’t compliment everyone on every little thing, especially routine tasks that should automatically be done well.
*Recognize the small victories. Another key in turning around performance problems is to be sure to recognize progress toward improvement. Too often, managers reserve recognition for their top performers or “save it up” until poor performers get up to speed.
While it’s important to recognize high performers, it’s just as important to recognize all positive behavior, especially when it’s a step in the right direction for an employee with a performance issue. This helps build momentum and confidence, and it reinforces the behaviors that are needed for this person to turn around.
*Think outside the bucks. While money is a powerful motivator, it’s not the only way to acknowledge extra effort. Other options include sending a hand-written thank-you note; holding an impromptu, company-paid lunch or other get-together; mentioning an improving performer in a company newsletter or staff meeting; or giving the employee an afternoon off. Things like this might seem small, but they go a long way toward saying thanks and encouraging further success.
*Don’t be afraid to be subjective.
Too many managers are so afraid of being sued by non-performers that they go overboard in being objective. As a result, they unfairly level the playing field; treating poor performers as if they’re doing ok, while penalizing the top players. Stop! REWARD star employees so the underperformers understand exactly what they’re missing out on, and what they have to do to measure up.
*Reward the right behavior. The most effective incentive programs are tied to actions that are most important to the business, such as solving problems or providing superior customer service. In this way, management is improving the performance of the entire organization, as well as the individual employee.
Source: The Creative Group (www.creativegroup.com).
February 2020 EA Report Brown Bagger, Part of the Employee Assistance Report, Volume 23, No. 2
