Beliefs and Actions of a Workplace Praise Culture
Recently, there was a post on LinkedIn that discussed compliments in the workplace, questioning readers about the last time they extended or received one and how it felt to give or receive.
Excerpts included findings that, “… the brain processes verbal affirmations similarly to financial rewards,” and “… people underestimate how much recipients appreciate gratitude.”
The post inspired an idea for a conversation: not that insincere compliments should be given but that appreciation in a meaningful manner could be — maybe should be — more top of mind and a developed habit.
“Authentic praise — compliments and recognition — serve as a key component of one's management strategy,” says Susan Smith Kuczmarski, the author of Lifting People Up: The Power of Recognition and the co-founder of Kuczmarski Innovation, which provides thought leadership on innovation, culture, management and values.
“A management style designed to appeal to an organization’s most important resource—it’s people—can be highly effective,” she contends. “Managers at all levels can more effectively recognize the efforts and successes of their team and lift them up.”
The risk of not acknowledging people’s humanity and basic needs are clear.
“Poor communication reduces productivity, commitment, spirit and performance,” Smith Kuczmarski states.
Instead, she teaches to organizational leaders to “Focus on eight people initiatives, discovered in our research, to create a culture of praise and recognition,” saying that “Each has the power to motivate personal discovery and contribute to the success of the team.”
Those recommended initiatives:
1. View good communication as an on-going and essential ingredient of people management.
2. Know that praise and recognition can help to make everyone in an organization feel valued.
3. Personalize praise. Match the right kind and amount to each recipient.
4. Recognize the power of indirect praise.
5. Use written and other tangible forms of recognition, not just verbal — and give one’s time too.
6. Praise on the scene and behind the scenes.
7. Praise both the effort and the outcome.
8. Create a system for giving praise and be creative and consistent.
Susan Kuczmarski is the author of Lifting People Up: The Power of Recognition and co-founder of Kuczmarski Innovation.
Workplaces defined as high-appreciation produce valuable byproducts.
“High-appreciation cultures have energized and happy people who create a shared culture that enriches their work lives,” she says, going on to explain how it best works.
“The people-focused process begins with a workplace that is meaningful and gratifying. Leaders must nurture a highly productive group of individuals who have a genuine sense of their own value, strong relationships with each other and a group identity.”
The “why” is important understanding to gain.
“They know they are appreciated members of a common community,” Smith Kuczmarski says. “In high-appreciation cultures, the workplace is propelled by the power and energy of a shared spirit and inspiring culture.”
As to the “how” it is created and driven as a constant.
To begin with, praise is used to “generate motivation, personal learning and personal growth. It creates positive energy to fire-up the team. It is the fuel that energizes and stimulates group work,” Smith Kuczmarski says.
This type of culture is, “… absolutely essential for innovation,” because “High-appreciation cultures have people exited about what’s next; they’re coming in with ideas, they’re willing to share their success stories and failure with each other to learn and grow,” she stresses.
What leaders might not regularly realize is how effective such an approach, she contends, can nurture collaborative energy. These cultures “get the right people in place, bring out the best in those people and focus on their connecting points.”
Organizations can develop and benefit from what Kuczmarski calls “praise champions.” This is organizationally beneficial through that particular person or groups of them who “give team members a vision of where they’re going that is positive and a sense that they are moving forward. There is something really exciting and worthwhile ahead of them.”
What some — or many organizations might not do — is something she says is valuable and a behavior that teams know is needed and wanted, “Praising for curiosity and moving forward,” she says. “The culture says, ‘that was really worth trying and even though it didn’t lead anywhere, you learned something from it.’”
The compliments come from a person or teams’ curiosity and “a willingness to try and the energy that went into what may have turned out to be a dead end. Drive and energy are encouraged, not just actual achievement,” Smith Kuczmarski says.
Reality is that there exist environments where compliments are scarce. That’s a problem worth addressing, yet rarely discussed.
“An effective leader always seeks ways to provide recognition, yet so often we woefully under-recognize others,” Smith Kuczmarski says.
“We hear managers lament, ‘But, you don’t want to make people feel overconfident or think they’re too good, because then they’ll be asking you for more money.’ How naïve. When it’s genuine and legitimate, recognition doesn’t cause ego-inflation. Rather, it strengthens an individual’s inner core. It enables them to feel better about themselves and in turn perform more effectively and efficiently.
“When people are filled with self-doubt and question themselves, they under-perform. Their concentration becomes fragmented because they spend time and energy wondering if they are doing the right thing or if their efforts will be recognized,” she says.
The reality is the pluses far outweigh most concerns, Smith Kuczmarski states.
“Providing frequent recognition is beneficial because it leaves groups stronger, more confident and better motivated to perform productively and focus on the tasks at hand rather than worrisome self-doubt.”
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