12 Keys to employee engagement – 4

“Wow – you’re really great with our clients’ families!”

“Thanks for finishing that report so quickly – it was well done, too.”

“Kudos to the kitchen team for the great dinner last Monday night!”

It’s nice to hear something good about your work, isn’t it? As a manager, though, we’re trained to be on the lookout for work that isn’t up to standard, and to watch for things that slip through the crack. We often don’t stop to think about the need to positively reward or recognize our team – on a consistent, regular basis.

Gallup’s index of items that create an engaged team includes this important question: “In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?”

The answer to this question may well determine just how engaged your team is in their work, and how successful your organization will be.

Clearly, if a highly engaged employee will answer “YES!” to this question, then the highly engaging manager needs to do these things: Provide recognition and praise on a regular, consistent (weekly, at a minimum) basis.

We know from behavior modification theory that we can change people’s behavior by positive reinforcements. As a manager, this is a very valuable tool. This doesn’t mean setting up charts and giving out tangible rewards. What it does mean, as indicated in the Gallup question, is giving frequent, unprompted verbal recognition for work well done. It means giving verbal praise – as simple as saying, “Excellent!” with a smile, when an employee reports on a completed project.

It means, in short, recognizing the efforts of the team members explicitly. It means changing management behavior from watching for errors, to watching for work well done. It means, when you catch an error, discussing it in a positive way with the individual: “I noticed you missed signing one day on the med sheet. You’re always so great about signing – can you go back and fix it so you can keep your perfect record?”

I’ve learned to add the words, “Thanks - great job!” when someone reports a task complete. I try, as well, to casually remark in the hearing of others how much I appreciate the work well done and prompt.

Learning to be the manager of highly engaged people takes focus and effort. Focusing on recognition and praise is one positive step we all can take to build the best team possible.