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?”

With the holiday celebrations now at an end, many of us are returning to our usual daily grind refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to dive into the tasks awaiting our attention. The start of a new year is also a time when many of us make resolutions of what we’d like to accomplish over the next 365 days, and possibly beyond.

Granted, it’s only natural that we’d be motivated right now to create these lists of goals, as the start of a new year often inspires that feeling of a new start; that the turning to a fresh page instills hope for new opportunities and bright possibilities for our future. The buoyant positivity around this time of the year can certainly be quite beneficial as it encourages us to take time for some personal self-reflection, pushing us to define goals of what we’d like to change in ourselves, and what areas of knowledge and understanding we’d like to develop a greater awareness of.

Of course, in order for us to truly reap the benefits of this exercise, we need to review the events of the previous year; of taking note of what we endured, learned and gained from those past experiences which can serve as the foundation that we build upon as we move forward.

Another point to consider when developing these lists of goals is how the focus doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to ourselves. Indeed, the start of a new year is a perfect opportunity for leaders to evaluate how they can help their employees with achieving their professional goals for this year.

Now, before the cynic within all of us dismisses such notions as being the result of an euphoric haze that often comes with celebrating the arrival of a new year, let us consider one of the lessons we learned over the course of the previous one. Namely, how Click here to continue reading »”4 New Year’s Resolutions To Help Your Organization Succeed This Year”

I’m pleased to announce that I have joined in partnership with Sprint to highlight and share some of the valuable content being provided on their new small business information and community site, Business on Main, which can be found on the MSN Network.

On the surface, most leaders will agree that encouraging a workplace where employees feel valued and engaged is important to their organization’s growth and success. Indeed, a recent study by Aon Hewitt has shown that companies with high levels of employee engagement outperformed the total stock market index despite the current economic difficulties.

And yet, despite this understanding of the correlation between employee engagement and financial gains, a recent Gallup poll revealed that more than 70% of employees are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged”.

In the article “Empower Your Employees … Your Business Depends on It“, business consultant and customer service expert John Tschohl, author of the book “Empowerment: A Way of Life”, points out that part of the problem is that the concept of empowering employees is more of a myth as most “business owners think they’ve empowered their employees when in reality they haven’t.”

While corporations have access to a greater number of resources to tackle this issue, if not the ability to offer their employees more opportunities and challenges, how can small businesses address the issue of a disengaged workforce? Check out this article “Empower Your Employees … Your Business Depends on It” to find out what measures small business owners can take to empower their employees and read some of the results other business owners have had with engaging their team to succeed.

Disclaimer: My blog is a part of an online influencer network for Business on Main. I receive monthly incentives to share my views on content I find noteworthy and relevant for my audience.

For the second episode of my podcast series, “Leadership Biz Cafe”, I’m pleased to welcome Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer. Teresa is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration and a Director of Research at Harvard Business School. Steven is a developmental psychologist whose writings have appeared in such illustrious publications as the Harvard Business Review and The New York Times.

In this episode, we discuss their research findings which serve as the basis for their new book “The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work”.

Over the course of the discussion, Teresa and Steven describe:

• What is inner work life and why leaders need to pay more attention to it.
• What is the progress principle and why does it matter in today’s work environment.
• Why leaders need to provide employees with responsibilities that create a sense of purpose or meaning.
• How experiencing setbacks can be more damaging to employee morale than leaders realize.
• What actions leaders should avoid to prevent a loss of productivity from their employees.
• What leaders should be managing, as opposed to what they think they should be managing, to encourage productivity in their organization.
• What two other factors leaders can employ to improve employee performance over the long-term.
• How leaders and employees can help facilitate a shift toward the creation of meaningful work.

As I told Teresa and Steven during our conversation, “The Progress Principle” is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year on leadership and improving an organization’s productivity. I invite you both to listen to this podcast and to check out their book to find out why I so thoroughly enjoyed reading “The Progress Principle”, as well as talking with them about the discoveries they made through their research on the challenges employees face in today’s workplace.

Click on the player below to listen to the podcast:

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Buy Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer’s book “The Progress Principle” on Amazon.com (or Amazon.ca for Canadian readers)