Recognize This: How you praise is as important as when.
I follow a lot of blogs in the HR and leadership space, as I’m sure you do, too. One I recently started enjoying is Respectful Workplace. A post at the end of last year has resonated so strongly with me, I must share it with you. In “The Power of Recognition,” Erica Pinsky wrote:
Erica’s covered all the basics here – frequency, sincerity, timeliness – and the strong link between recognition, performance and productivity.
Wally Bock, author of the excellent Three Star Leadership blog, made a similar case, but also highlighting what should not be praised:
That may seem counter-intuitive, but your smarts, talents and other gifts are what you brought to the table in the first place. It’s how you choose to use those talents that merits praise and appreciation.
What do you think? Did Erica and Wally get it right? Is there anything else that should not be praised that many assume should?