When it comes to what we communicate to our employees, few messages have as much impact as offering words of praise to those we lead. The importance of praise to an organization’s success has been shown in numerous studies performed by management experts, psychologists, and neurologists. One study even demonstrated how just saying ‘thank you’ to your employees can lead to an increase in productivity and employee engagement.

Of course, even without the empirical evidence proffered by these various studies, most of us understand the value of praise and its potent ability to serve as a positive motivator/driver for action. So if we’ve read the studies and/or are familiar from our own personal experiences and education about the importance of praise, why then aren’t leaders communicating it more to those under their stewardship?

In most cases, the easy culprit to pin the blame on is the increasing number of distractions now on our collective radars, or the stresses brought on by trying to navigate a global economy that’s in perpetual flux. But is this lack of praise really do to external factors, or is it perhaps more a reflection of how we communicate praise to those we lead or work side by side with?

Is it not possible that in most cases, what we’re seeing is not a lack of praise being offered but a lack of effectiveness in relaying that message in a manner that is meaningful to the person we’re giving it to?

If so, how do we make sure we’re effective in giving praise to our employees so that they do understand how much we value and appreciate their contributions to our shared purpose?

In the article “The Power of Praise in Business — and How to Do it Right”, a number of suggestions are offered on how to improve the way you give praise to your employees. While there are many good points, perhaps the most important Click here to continue reading »”Are You Effective In Giving Praise To Your Employees?”

Have you ever found yourself questioning whether the time had come to leave your current job and look for work elsewhere? It’s a common predicament most of us have encountered at one point or another in our careers, of coming across that fork in the road where we have to decide whether to stay the course or go down that less familiar, more uncertain path.

It’s a question that my friend Mark is currently dealing with, a situation I discussed in my previous piece “The Challenge We Face In Moving On”. Although Mark loves the work he’s doing, he’s having to deal with an upper management that has become more and more critical, if not downright dismissive, about his team’s contributions to their organization. What’s more, he’s also facing the reality of upcoming changes his company is planning to implement which will dramatically alter the focus of the business.

While he has considered the option of starting to look for work elsewhere, he obviously doesn’t want to jeopardize his ability to meet his financial obligations – mortgage payments, paying for his kids’ extracurricular activities, etc – not to mention the fact that it’s a tough market these days to be out looking for a job.

In talking with Mark about his situation, I asked him the following four questions to help him better understand his current situation and gain a firmer foothold to figure out whether it’s really time to move on. Click here to continue reading »”4 Questions To Help You Figure Out If It’s Time To Move On”

Photo courtesy of jm3

A few days ago, I had an interesting talk with my friend Mark who is currently wondering if the changing atmosphere in his workplace is a sign that it’s time for him to leave the company. As we delved into some of the reasons why he was still interested in staying with the organization, it reminded me of a similar situation I dealt with a few months ago and in particular, how our attachment to our past contributions or efforts can impact our desire or willingness to seek new opportunities.

For myself, the issue arose when I began to take stock of my participation in one of the many project teams I was involved with. Following certain decisions that changed the direction the team was headed toward, I realized that not only would there be less for me to contribute to the project, but the personal goals that were the reason why I joined the team four years ago were no longer attainable. On paper, it looked to be an open-and-shut case as to what I should do next. And yet, as my friend Mark is experiencing right now, life is rarely that simple.

In my case, while I knew there was not much of a benefit for both the team and myself in maintaining the relationship, I also knew that I had invested four years of my time, effort and resources into the project. As such, if I were to walk away, I would basically be giving all of that up without having attained the goals I had set out to reach as a member of that team. While dealing with any kind of change in our lives can be a challenge, it’s even more daunting when Click here to continue reading »”The Challenge We Face In Moving On”