How to Praise Staff

Many managers attending management courses struggle to give the appropriate form of praise to their staff. Have you ever wondered why praise does not affect all employees in the same way? Some people are grateful and are spurred on to still greater achievement by expressions of appreciation from their manager. Others take your praise as a matter of course and may even change down a gear after the acknowledgement. Where does this difference come from? Such questions are meat and drink for the psychologists. In her book “Communication Training” Vera F. Birkenbihl traces it back to the different reasons why people were `patted’ in their childhood. One group received appreciation (were `patted’) because they were accepted for what they were. These people are those `Patted for Being’. The other group were, in the main, only praised when they had achieved a success. These are those `Patted for Doing’. Being-orientated people grow up with the feeling that they are entitled to recognition even without having achieved anything special. They therefore do not set themselves very high goals. Doing-orientated people, on the other hand, want to earn themselves recognition. What consequences does this finding have for you? As a manager you need to try to find out which people belong to which group. You will be able to make the distinction if you take note of how an employee reacts to praise. You should praise doing-orientated staff regularly for their efforts and achievements. Praise them even when they are “just trying”. They need your praise and will thrive on it. On the other hand, be sparing in your recognition of being-orientated staff, both in the quantity and in the strength of your appreciation. You should only expressly praise when they really have achieved an exceptional success. Give them regular confirmation, though, that you value and respect them as human beings. Birkenbihl’s theory is an interesting one. It would seem to suggest that that if the task is one where sales results are the prime measure then “doing-orientation” staff will be easier to motivate. Where as if the task involves customer or team bonding then the reverse would be true. Training on management courses can further enhance your skills to provide the most appropriate form on praise to staff.