Guidelines for Effective Praising

There are executives and managers who discourage continued excellent performance by failing to acknowledge it when they first see it. Such individuals mistakenly assume that they should be focusing their attention on sub-par performers. When asked why they don't recognize good work, some use the excuse, “I'm too busy.”

In favor of praising good employees, let me share with you these guidelines from Dr. Bob Nelson, the author and motivational speaker, writing in the AMA management book Partnering: The New Face of Leadership (Larraine Segil, Marshall Goldsmith and James Belasco, editors). Nelson, head of Nelson Motivation, Inc., suggests an acronym “ASAP-cubed” to help executives remember the essential elements of good praising; that is, praise should be done as soon, as sincerely, as specifically, as personally, as positively and as proactively as possible.

Let's look more closely at each element of his formula:

As soon. "Timing is very important when praising,” he observes. “To be most effective, a ‘thank you' should come as soon as possible after the achievement or desired activity has occurred. If you wait too long to thank a person, the gesture will lose its significance.”

As sincere. Praise should be given only if you are truly appreciative and excited about the other person's success. Otherwise, it may come across as a manipulative tactic to get more work out of the individual.

As specific. Avoid generalities. Specifics lend credibility to your praise. Praisings that are too broad tend to seem insincere. It's also important to let an employee know exactly what behavior led to the praise, so that he or she can continue that behavior.

As personal. If possible, the praise should be given in person. This shows that the activity was important enough to you to put aside everything else you have to do and thank the person.

As positive. Nelson observes a mistake that many managers make when giving praise: they undercut its value to the individual by concluding with a note of criticism. For instance, they might say to a worker, “You did a great job on this report, but there were quite a few typos.” As Nelson points out, “The ‘but' becomes a verbal erasure of all that came before.” He suggests that managers save the corrective feedback for the next similar assignment.

As proactive. Don't wait for perfection. Praise improvements and approximately right behavior. It will trigger future improvements until the level of performance you want is achieved.

For more information about Partnering: The New Face of Leadership and other AMA management book titles, visit www.amanet.org/amacombooks

For more insights into the use of praise, check out AMA's management seminars at www.amanet.org

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