For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

•  
  sbrennaman35404/10/08 Report as spam
  1

  For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  Once again I have to get this right. We are basing our future behavior on the test results of inexperienced leaders. Okay...got it. The bottom line here is that we need to invest time in mentoring and sometimes correcting our team mates (read subordinates, but that is not politically correct is it?). Their self esteem while important is not more important that business unit results. When we coddle our people we are setting them up for failure because when the times get tough and you as a manager-leader have to make the tough business decisions these people could be a liability and you have not done your job in developing them.

•  
  kevinkpierce04/10/08 Report as spam
  2

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  Isn't that obvious? Behavioral rewards beget similar behavior. We are all subject to operant conditioning. Reinforcing poor performance will generate poor performance.

•  
  United Systems04/10/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  Love the format adjustments... great "FIND"!

•  
  aHokie04/10/08 Report as spam
  4

  Praising the wrong thing

  OK, so praising behavior gets more of that behavior. So far, nothing new. The lesson here is that the discussion should be about what worked, what didn't, and how to learn from each. The trap? If you say the effort failed, ans asked what was learned, the flip answer is "Don't do that again!" But you want someone who pushed the edges to try again. So the lesson has to be tailored to what failed, why, and how can they use that in the next decision. And you might consider having a review of the next decision before it is acted on, so they get feedback they can use. And just for comments, I hate the word 'subordinate'. I work with professionals who know their subject matter so much better than I do. What I know, or at least what I can see, is where decisions will lead. So I have to work together with them. I think that a skilled employee who fails to use her full talent because she wants someone else to make the decisons is stealing from the company. A professional who wants to just do his job and not engage in the business is not giving the company a fair return on his salary.

•  
  nainie04/10/08 Report as spam
  5

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  praising and consoling or moral boosting are 2 different things. if an employee has done something wrong, he should definitely not be praised!! but he can surely be empathised with so that he's encouraged 2 give better esults nxt time..

•  
  Dr.Biswajit04/10/08 Report as spam
  6

  Handling Talents

  Great topic. A very realistic approch lies how you handle by the same time not discouraging the moral of the employee.
  
  Every employee must be skilled enough as they were hired by the companies after lots of tests. But Making Use of their skills depends on the manager and ways of approaching. Even the wrong result should be reviewed clearly and the concept benind it can be discussed from subordinates view point.
  
  Some times some failure results are the greatest invention !!

•  
  Akinlosotu04/11/08 Report as spam
  7

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  praise has led to some managers to do the unexpected negatively

•  
  aparna.vishwasrao@...04/11/08 Report as spam
  8

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  Though it could be initially difficult for some Managers to give direct feedback if a colleague has made a mistake it is a must if a true performance driven culture is to be inculcated. In case we adopt a circuitous route of praising the mistake we are only sending confusing signals to the individual. Having said that what perhaps many Mangers need to know is the method of giving that direct feedback
  
  Aparna Vishwasrao

•  
  colleen.cunningham@...04/11/08 Report as spam
  9

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  I teach business at a high school and you quickly learn that praise for the benefit of self-esteem leads to people who don't know how to do things right and who don't believe you when you do praise them legitimately. After all, they're not stupid; they understand the work is poor.
  
  How do you build self-esteem? Tell them the truth, "this is working and this needs work". As they get better at what they are doing, praise them honestly. They feel good about the achievement they have made, and they really know how to repeat the good work in the future.

•  
  gdhaar04/11/08 Report as spam
  10

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  I think too often the praise is given because people want to avoid conflict in dealing with the issue and rationalize it as boosting self esteem to make themselves feel better.

•  
  LWeller204/11/08 Report as spam
  11

  Don't praise the wrong thing

  My job involves proposals. If a reluctant participant is coddled and praised, it only serves to delay their participation.

•  
  Aimee33304/11/08 Report as spam
  12

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  I wonder if the same effect would show true for our kids today? I'm most certain it would! I have found in the past that a great deal of energy was wasted on one employee that I tried desperately to motivate with praise-lesson learned. If they're NOT self motivated, you can praise all day-wear yourself out, and in the end you'll have the same crappy result!

•  
  jgunkler@...04/14/08 Report as spam
  13

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  Fundamental principle of human behavior: You get more of the behavior that you reward.

•  
  Mike Cudzich07/04/08 Report as spam
  14

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  As someone who praises good behaviour and performance, I wondered what this was about, - then I opened it up!
  
  Praising bad performance and behaviour!
  
  Is this from the department of the bl..dy obvious or what?!
  
  What nutter does this? Obviously one from the "be nice to everyone and everyone will be nice to you" camp!
  
  Mike

•  
  drhall07/09/08 Report as spam
  15

  Jessica Writes

  Jessica writes superior pertinent business / people articles and the responses I read (all of them I think) could be bound into first class how-to manual ... or how not-to, profile for all types of managers to study!
  
  Great Article - Great Responses!

•  
  drharoon09/25/08 Report as spam
  16

  RE: For Managers, Praise Can Be a Dangerous Thing

  Coaching and mentoring is a part of manager's job....