Selling.2.YES Jun '16

How goes your "atta boy"?

June 2016

In my daily job, I have the honor of working with some of the finest managers in the ad tech and digital media business. These ambitious, smart, conscientious folk are sent to me by their companies to grow and refine their management skills and behaviors. One of the main gaps I see in their game is obvious - yet fixable: it’s their “atta boy”. Everyone knows giving praise is a ridiculously effective motivator, so why don't we don’t do it more often? And, why aren’t we better with the art of giving praise: being appropriate with both context and content. If you are wondering, the “atta boy” is harder to fix than the “atta girl”…well of course that's silly...there's no difference between an “atta boy” versus an “atta girl”. But you haven't clicked through to one of my articles in awhile so I had to resort to trickery. Take it outa my pay. But now that you're

here, I guarantee you’ll find value in the words below. And regardless of who you are in the corporate pecking order, you know you can find room and time to offer more praise.

Praise is one of the most important forms of fuel that drives human behavior. You know how it feels when you’re praised! And when it’s genuine and deserved, you feel even better, eh? But it doesn’t come freely enough and that needs to change. But it can only change when we diagnose why, and, enact the simple plan outlined below that helps us be better at this important management tool.

Why? Why don’t we as managers give enough praise?

We’re running too fast. We THINK we're giving praise frequently, but we don't do it as much as we should. (Not much explanation needed. Sorry excuse, btw.)
We live in a “what have you done for me lately” society. (Thus, there’s no space in between anything, these days. No further explanation needed.)
We don’t know how to give praise. Er, let’s change that to: “we don’t know how to give appropriate praise.” Note: giving praise is not the same as building culture …some managers mix this up. They feel that by being an “always on” cheerleader, they’re creating good overall vibes akin to praise. Not so. Yet when it’s time to actually note good specific behaviors and actions, intentions might be hard to interpret. Giving appropriate praise is an art, just as appropriate critiquing is an art too.
Managers/supervisors don’t feel praise-worthy - or get enough praise themselves, so giving praise is a hard thing to do. Whoa. Big topic there. Get on the couch.

Now, here are some fixes for each of the above.

We’re running too fast. Recommendation: slow down. More specifically, build time into the end of your day to reflect where to offer praise and how the recognition should be offered. You probably already organize a “to do” list to lead you through the next day, so add a little time to consciously review who deserves praise, and how you want to give it. If are really working hard to be a better “praiser”, then literally train yourself each day by putting a 5-minute segment on your calendar to dedicate to this part of your game. Soon you won’t have to commit time each day that forces your focus, it’ll just come naturally. Finally, have the conversation with the person you manage and ask, "How much praise do you need? What kind of praise works for you the best? This may sound silly, but asking the direct question will most often get the info you need.
We live in a “what have you done for me lately” society. Recommendation: don’t be that way. Fight it. Dedicate to running quickly, yet thinking with consideration. Learn the art of making praise real. Sometimes it’s important to call someone out in a group, sometimes it’s important to sit them down in your office and praise them so you can reinforce behavioral changes you’ve mutually been working on. When all else fails, think about how you would want to be treated.
We don’t know how to give praise. Recommendation: THINK before praising; understand what praise is and what it is not. Praise is not defined as “hey, GREAT JOB passing that stapler to me after I asked politely”. Or: “wow, that was fantastic work you did on that menial task that is part of your regular job duties!” Praise is offering true recognition matched against goals; praise is heralding actions and behaviors that represent true, long-lasting and real advancement. Think about your “praising techniques” and thing about the context and content before you move toward a formal recognition.
Managers can’t praise effectively ‘cuz they don’t get enough praise themselves. Recommendation: break the chain…re-read 1-3.

GOOD JOB getting to the end of this post. That's enough praise from me to you for one day!

Why "Selling.2.YES"?

Click here for a brief, fun, quick read on why the newsletter is named as it is.

Selling.2.YES

How goes your "atta boy"?

​June 2016

Archives

Why "Selling.2.YES"?

June 2016