It’s no hidden secret that great companies are relentless in their attention to detail. It gives them a competitive edge, and customers appreciate a company that has it together. A company’s obsession with the finer details is important, but over time this focus can start taking a toll on the people that work there. Good leadership and management require looking for mistakes or flaws in an organization so that they can be fixed. Besides, these efforts are only meant to fine tune efficiency, productivity and profitability, right? Although our efforts may be well-intended, this can strain or actually have the opposite effect on employees over time. I have seen this in my own company. Good management pays attention to detail and what’s wrong. But, good management is not always positive. There is nothing wrong trying to fix the cracks today so they don’t end up becoming potholes down the road. No one wants potholes. Potholes are bad. But, good management can create unmotivated employees, which can be a bigger problem.
Too many work environments are focused on catching people making mistakes (i.e. looking for cracks way too much of the time) which is an easy way to manage people. Just focus on what they do wrong and you’ll have plenty of things to fix. However, good leadership understands the psychology of people. Unless they are seeking feedback, people resist being fixed or controlled. Think of your response when you are criticized. Are you happy for the feedback? Does the feedback build your self-esteem? Employees are more energized and motivated when they are recognized and praised. Recognition, to some, is more motivating than money. The fact is that if employees go too long without any positive reinforcement, they will start to lose motivation. Correcting what’s wrong is important, but when motivation wanes, it’s time to switch gears. Instead of catching people doing things wrong, make an effort to catch them doing something good, and mention it to them. That’s it.
This may not sound like a big deal until you try to recall the last time you caught someone doing something good. It might not be as recent as you think. Experiment with this new approach for one week and see what changes. Observe how your people respond. And most important, how do you respond as a result of this shift in perspective?
A study by Harvard Business Review indicates only positive feedback can motivate people to continue doing what they’re doing well, and do it with more vigor, determination, and creativity. They found the best results are seen when there are five positive comments to every negative or critical one. If it’s likely that you will give critical feedback at least twice over the next week, you’ll need to set a goal of ten positive comments in order to compensate for the criticisms. Business consultant and leadership expert Sam Allman thinks that ratio is even higher. His recommendation is that you need eight praises for every negative criticism. The impact criticism has on people is profound. It has the ability to take the wind out of the mightiest of sails.
Observe what kind of impact this makes by taking time to intentionally focus on the good things that your people are doing. And let them know so their successes can be celebrated. Don’t underestimate how much this means to the people who work for you. The more you recognize the good, the more likely they will continue doing good things.