Say Something Good Today

There's a pervasive business practice where managers 'motivate' their team by reminding them how far behind they are and how much work needs to get done, AKA "The beatings will continue until morale improves."

Unfortunately, there's a lot of baggage people carry around when we talk about motivation practices. High expectations are what makes high performing teams. It's up to an employee if they choose to work hard. Daddy taught me praise makes people soft. Millennials all want a trophy.

And that's just the cultural baggage! A manager can also have negative experiences that turns into mismanagement practices. Those mismanagement practices sound like, "I had to pay my dues to get here. This is just how it is. It used to be so much worse."

Hurt people hurt people.

At small organizations, this baggage quickly becomes embedded as organizational norms. Not only that, it happens invisibly and only comes to light when a new hire starts or an outside perspective eavesdrops and says, "You said WHAT to your employee?!"

I ain't gonna tell you you're broken. That's for you and your therapist.

However, you CAN learn three forms of praise and find a way of integrating them a little more into your day-to-day work.

Yeah, this is the Kudos Edition of the TL;DR.

If you were nodding along above, then you probably know that appreciation and recognition does all sorts of good things for an individual, a relationship, a team, and a company.

There's data:

• ​Employees who receive great recognition are 20 times as likely to be engaged as employees who receive poor recognition.​
• ​Recognition is widely believed (94%) to be a fundamental method to retain talent.
• ​A balance of appreciation ("you are a wonderful human") and recognition ("you are a wonderful employee") is the magic mix for exceptional retention and productivity.

But you know that. You still remember that really thoughtful praise that one person gave you, years ago. That job you look back on fondly? Someone there- a manager, a peer, a direct report, a customer- made you feel valued, not disvalued.

They probably did it through one or more of the following ways:

Verbal Praise: The Power of Words

• Direct and Timely: The best verbal praise is specific, sincere, and delivered soon after an achievement. Mention the specific action you appreciate and its positive impact.
• Public or Private? Consider the recipient's preference. Public praise can be energizing for some, while others might prefer a private "thank you."
• Examples:
  • "Wow, Sarah, your presentation was clear and engaging! I loved how you connected the data to specific challenges."
  • "Thanks for jumping in to help with that last-minute report, John. Your teamwork really saved the day!"

Written Praise: Leaving a Lasting Impression

• Formal or Informal? A handwritten note or a positive performance review can be equally impactful.
• Details Matter: Similar to verbal praise, be specific about the accomplishment and its significance.
• Sharing is Caring: You can CC a supervisor or share the appreciation with the whole team (with permission of course).
• Examples:
  • Send a quick email to David thanking him for his insightful comments during the brainstorming session.
  • Leave a handwritten note for Maria expressing your gratitude for her dedication to the most recent employee onboarding.

Acts of Service: Showing You Care

• Actions Speak Louder: Taking on a busywork task for someone when they have a major deadline looming can say more than verbal or written praise.
• Tailored Service: Consider the person's needs and preferences. Do they appreciate a coffee run in the afternoon slump? Would offering to help with their presentation slides be more helpful?
• Don’t Be Invisible: While you may be aware that you are doing someone a favor, they may not be aware. Observe how your teammates respond: did they notice? Can you let them know without it coming off like a humblebrag?
• Examples:
  • Offering to cover the office phone for Stephanie so she can handle an urgent personal matter.
  • Proofread Taryn's report for a client and let them know what they did particularly well.

Your homework assignment

Yeah, the Kudos Edition of the TL;DR is giving you a homework assignment.

Wherever you are in life, you have the means to deliver verbal praise, written praise, and an act of service. Try intentionally delivering each type of praise- verbal, written, and act of service- over the next two weeks.

Let me know how it goes and I'll feature it in the next TL;DR.

Be the Thumbs Up today.

A TL;DR from the CRO

You're a really important reader to me: thanks for subscribing, opening, and reading.

-Roman Noodles, Chief Ruff Officer

TL;DR From The Archive: HR Folks Have Feelings Too

For many HR professionals, emotional labor is their day job. In this interview, Libby Fiumara shares several techniques she uses to take care of her own emotional well-being that any manager can adopt to handle the ups and downs of supporting a team. Read more...​

PS. Congrats on your new baby, Libby!

Last issue I asked for suggestions on how to treat myself with $300 for achieving all my Q2 goals. You delivered some killer ideas that are getting saved for MANY holidays to come.

The one I went with came from Geoff:

"Spend $100 on the past, $100 on the present, and $100 on the future on things you're already doing but a little nicer."

Variety is the spice of life and I like to live spicy. Here's what I splurged on:

• Past: A Dremel and stone-carving drill bits. The TL;DR's Rock Tumbling updates may soon include Rock Carving updates.
• Present: I went on a date to see Inside Out 2 with all the fixings- popcorn, soda, candy, uncontrollable crying, etc.
• Future: A new running belt, phone-holding armband, a Strava subscription, and a running harness for Roman Noodles so we can go on runs together, supporting one of my Q3 goals.

Thanks for the suggestions on how I should praise myself. Even getting responses was a form of recognition, so really, thank you.

​

Heading off on a run,

Dan from Learn to Scale​

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​PS. If a little recognition and appreciation can turn Faux-Blink182 Pete Davidson into Division Head Davidson...what could it do for you? ​