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Is "Great Job" enough?
Insight:
Sometimes acknowledgments don't have the
impact that we intended. I recently observed an
interaction between a Manager and one of his team
members:
"Patricia, you're doing a great job on the project.
And, I have a request. Could you change the overall
project schedule to reflect the modifications you
made to the sub-schedules?"
When I asked Patricia how she felt about the
interaction, she said:
"You know, it's frustrating. Without me, this project
would be falling on its face. And of course I knew to
also put the change on the overall project schedule,
I just forgot. I get nitpicked for the smallest details."
Although the Manager thought he was giving mostly
praise and making a request, the impact on Patricia
was quite different. The main reason that his
appreciation didn't land is that "great job" wasn't
specific enough. When people listen to feedback,
they tend to listen for the details, trying to identify
the specific actions that led to their success or
failure.
As a result, positive generalizations such as the
following rarely show up strongly to the listener:
- Thanks
- Nice job
- Keep up the good work
- Youíre doing great.
Action: Look
for and acknowledge the specifics of what team
members are doing well. Just saying "Great Job"
rarely leaves people feeling fully acknowledged.
Frankly, it's human nature to look for what's wrong
and to notice the specifics about what is not
working. Our minds are biologically designed to
notice the things that are out of place or that will
get in the way of achieving our goals. It's actually
quite a challenge to notice the fine details of what is
working and comment on what is great.
The more specific you can be in your
acknowledgment, the more power and credibility it
has, and this helps the person be able to receive the
acknowledgment. It also reinforces the specific
behaviors that you want to reinforce. So, make a
request when it's needed, but then follow up with
specifics of what you appreciate and leave people
feeling good about their accomplishments:
Manager: "Patricia, you've done a great job on the
project. Before I get into specifics of everything
that is working, I do have a request. Could you
change the overall project schedule to reflect the
modifications you made to the sub-schedules?"
Patricia: "Yes, of course, I just forgot."
Manager: "I'd like to really let you know how great of
a job you are doing on this project. I really
appreciated the quality of the writing in the report
you wrote, the timeliness of the drafts you sent out
for review, and the creativity of the
recommendations. And your attention to detail on all
the little things really puts me at ease. Thanks
Patricia."
It takes a bit of patience to look for all the specific
things that are working and to share them, but the
results can be significant. Your teammates will be
more motivated to fulfill your requests, and the
mood, morale, and level of partnership will increase.
Likewise, when people feel appreciated, it's easier for
them to hear constructive feedback--it's heard as
support--so collaboration, innovation, and
productivity are also likely to increase.
Overall, it takes practice to notice the specifics of
what someone is doing great, and then the time to
share the specifics. Even if you already do this, if
you do it just a little bit more, the result may surprise
you.
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Key Action: |
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Look for and acknowledge
the specifics of what team members are doing well.
Just saying "Great Job" rarely leaves people feeling
fully acknowledged.
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