While giving constructive criticism to your team is necessary, it’s just as important (if not more important) to give praise. When you reinforce good behavior, you promote future good behavior. Be ready to vocalize accomplishments publicly. This plants a seed for other employees who may want to be subject of recognition, too.
Here are some simple strategies to recognize wins:
- Award a “Performer of the Month,” and celebrate these wins with the team.
- Real-time collaboration tools can help you give informal and instantaneous feedback. You can simply Slack, “You’re a [firework emoji]” to an employee to show that you care and appreciate them.
- Keep a log of major wins. This way, you’ll have stats and anecdotes to back you up when you reward an employee with a bonus or promotion.
Pro-tip:
“I used to think the best way to show appreciation was through monetary means: bonuses, salary increases. I’ve learned that employees respond to different rewards. One of my employees favors free time. I would try to entice him to work weekends by offering him money, but what he really wanted was free time to spend with his family. Another one of my team members likes having a sense of purpose and getting recognition for his talent. I empower him by giving him projects that line up with his passions and allow them to flourish.” – William Bauer, Managing Director, Royce, Forbes columnist
Source: Our new e-book Your First 50 Days, available for download!
