Validating People at Work Benefits Organizations

Compliments can often be in short supply in the workplace despite human beings psychologically liking, needing and maybe, craving them.

It’s a subject that isn’t regularly addressed in conversation or usually a conscious organization commitment to improve. The undeniable reality is compliments are vitally important if a healthy workforce culture is to be developed and built.

“Human beings need to feel valued, seen and heard to perform at their best,” says Christina Curtis, founder of Curtis Leadership Consulting and the author of Choosing Greatness: An Evidence-Based Approach to Achieving Exceptional Outcomes.

“When we don't feel appreciated, negative emotions can start to swirl, clouding our commitment and creativity,” she adds. “But when appreciation is shown, those clouds start to part. Compliments activate the same regions of the brain that light up when some receives a financial reward.”

People are emotionally driven. Appreciation is emotionally based. It’s a currency, one that Curtis says is a powerful one and, “doesn't cost a cent, just a little time and a lot of heart.”

Despite the breadth and depth of research on the impact of appreciation on culture and performance, it’s still not a core practice in all workplaces and that leads to problems, noticed or not.

“Think about a time when you felt undervalued and underappreciated,” Curtis says. “How committed and motivated did you feel to perform? Likely not much at all. When feeling underappreciated, the brain can quickly shift from goal directed behavior to self protection, activating the regions responsible for analyzing and responding to risks.”

Christina Curtis is the founder of Curtis Leadership Consulting and the author of the book, Choosing Greatness: An Evidence-Based Approach to Achieving Exceptional Outcomes.

The results of that cognitive shift are not what leaders need, expect and hope for from their people. It is a blocker of organizational goals.

“We are more cautious about what we say, more tentative about what we do, often leading to a culture of finger pointing, blame and siloed work,” Curtis says.

That can be prevented or countered, she asserts, “With healthy doses of appreciation, people are 5 times less likely to leave their jobs and 2 times more likely to bring innovation and ideas to their work.”

Praise requires specificity and sincerity to be considered well expressed to the point it is experienced positively by the receiver and strongly resonate.

“A meaningful compliment can be broken down into 3 components,” Curtis begins to explain, “the behavior or the quality that was observed, the impact that it had and why it's so appreciated.”

Those characteristics create movement in people’s minds, the kind that makes praise an emotional, psychological and relationship benefit.

“Connecting these dots deepens the listeners ability to internalize the importance of the action, enhancing their feelings of self-worth and strengthening their relationship and bond with others,” Curtis states.

Healthy, strong relationships require consistent positive experiences for trust building and the workplace is no different.

“Research has shown that powerful relationships are built on a ratio of 5:1 positive to negative interactions,” Curtis says. “This concept originally emerged from research conducted by John Gottman, who could predict the stability of marriages with (a reported 93.6 percent) accuracy based on their ratio of positive to negative engagements.”

She offers a recommendation.

“It can be helpful to drop a reminder into your calendar twice a week, priming the brain to watch for these little opportunities when you can lean in with gratitude,” Curtis says.

“It might be a nod to a colleague for getting back to you quickly or an acknowledgment of your boss's efforts to remove a roadblock,” she suggests. “While all connections can't be sunshine and rainbows, driving for more positive touch points will help you forge stronger bonds that withstand the weight of the work.”

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