Leadership: Praising with sincerity, timeliness and specificity

Praise will act as a catalyst for even higher levels of success when three praise aspects are present. Stakeholders know if a leader is paying attention to what they’re doing and sincere praise creates a positive feedback loop in which what gets noticed and rewarded gets magnified. 

The three aspects are:

1. sincerity
2. timeliness and
3. specificity

Let's explore in more depth...

More info
Forbes: recognition - the key to 2025 employee engagement?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/karadennison/2024/09/13/why-recognition-could-be-the-key-to-employee-engagement-in-2025/

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
How everyone. This week, i'd like to discuss some more
debts the benefits of praise and transformational leadership. Praise will
act as a catalyst to even higher levels of success
when the three praise aspects present. Workers co workers know

(00:25):
if the leaders paying attention to what they're doing, and
sincere praise creates a positive feedback look in which what
gets noticed and rewarded gets magnified. Praisings not only reserved
solely for workers leaders. They also benefit for reviewing their

(00:49):
own personal leadership and finding out what they've done well
and what they deserve to be praised for. This is
back to remember if you're on your flights and the
safety breathing briefing, put it on on your own safety masks.

(01:09):
First principle, we well the benefits a praise is significant.
To maxim me reap those benefits, praise must be balanced
with providing both positive and constructive feedback. Second aspect of
praising is called purification, and we'll talk about that in

(01:33):
some later podcasts. At the moment, it's important for leaders
to recognize that some leaders may feel that praise isn't
necessary and that the causey of work is evidence of
the expectations of what we'll done for those Maybe you're

(01:54):
one of them. If you feel about uncomfortable giving praise
or those who see it's over blowing and unnecessary. For
a moment, I'd like you just to consider who who
has been recently praised and are more engaged in their work?

(02:15):
Who is it? Have you looked at them? Have you
there observed them? Have they increased productivity? Do they have
higher customer customer satisfaction feedback rates? Are they better at safety?

(02:39):
Have they a great safety record? Benefits? Benefits? Really have
praise are substantial? May suggest it to better develop, but
I would class as a critical skill. I think it's
a wee bit important, and if we reflect for a

(03:01):
moment or two, I think it's as important. From the
bay two, Have we look have we look at how
you how you view praise? I'd like to think about
just for a moment or two, we test for a
we feedback loop for yourself and scale of one to ten,

(03:25):
with one being I don't agree, ten being I strongly agree.
Could you please rate yourself in the following praising dimension
seven questions Number one, I'm comfortable giving giving sincere, timely
and specific praise and recognition to worker, colleague, or co worker.

(03:52):
Two and continually look at for opportunities and ways to
recognize the contribution of people I work with. Three, I'm
seeing as someone who repeatedly shows appreciation for what it's
valuable and noteworthy. Four. I purposely find ways to link

(04:14):
individual accomplishments to departmental and organizational purpose, priority and promises.
Five I did look for wayte and still confidence, hope
and optimism, and a person's ability to do c really
transformational work. Six. I enjoy finding ways to celebrate individual

(04:37):
or team's success in Seven. Finally, I listen with intent
of understanding and not simply responding. If you and I
were sitting across from one another, and actually hear the
scores you give yourself you gave yourselves, and ask yourself

(05:00):
the following questions, Which of the siven dimensions do you
ate yourself highest? And why? Which are the sivin praising
dimensions did you eat yourself lowest? And why? What observations
are insights do you have from your responses? Which of

(05:22):
the seven praising dimensions would you like to increase dramatically?
So ones about sincere, timely specific praise two's continued looking
for opportunities. Threes about someone you see all the time,

(05:47):
they're constantly doing a shoe shows you a great work
and value, but it's work that's valuable noteworthy. Four And
your link individuals to their department of the organization. Six
you're looking for waste and still confidence and sid find

(06:07):
a ways to celebrate team success. And you're listening actually
to understand not simply well done, but trying to get
what's behind it, what's the deeper, what's the route behind that?
The praising assessment that we've just done, there isn't a
passor for fail, right or wrong type of assessment's reflection.

(06:33):
So checking is how to how you view praise and
whether you have an opportunity to be the catalyst, to
be the catalyst of mindset that can propel you in
your team forward. With that in mind, how do you
rate yourself? May I suggest I've got three or sorry

(06:55):
not three living living recommendations for how to increase your
effectness and using praise as a strategic asset based on
your answers to the praising assessment. The following recommendation will
help you improve your praising skills. First, we look at

(07:21):
praising with sincerity. If you appreciate someone, tell them why
what they did that was so important to you? Tell them,
but how what they've done has really been instrumental to
your organization and its results. But it's even better if

(07:45):
you can personalize the praise by sharing the value that
you experience with them doing that. When it comes to praise,
making it personal, it's what people receiving it says is
the most important thing. The million pound question is how

(08:06):
did the act that you're giving. How did that you're
giving me praise for help or benefit you? How did
it make it make you feel better? What did it do?
What was the value add within it? Two? Praise with
the intent of encouraging a person, because that exactly what

(08:28):
praising does. Praising is not about checking a task off.
You know how You've seen these people with their their
wee checklists and they give it a big tick well done,
You've got a great ticky, But what did it mean?
Praise is about helping someone see themselves, is being value

(08:51):
and also being appreciated. It's a simple thank you. Some
I've said before that the best outcome from a conversation
is not having a person leave the conversation thinking highly
of them, but rather the person leaves the conversation and

(09:13):
feel good about him or herself. Praise infuse a self
conference and a belief and what's really possible? Free link
you're praising to your purpose. I understwand why it's important
to you. You can't even link what someone has done

(09:40):
and why you feel it's important. It becomes an intellectual
exercise and artificial exercise. Make that link and you'll be
not only more sincere, but also eager to deliver the praise.
It's aligned with what's most important to you. How's it

(10:01):
added value? How's it made? They made that difference to you?
For Remember that the praise you delivery is planted. It's
this thing of planted and fairtile soil of a person's
memory grows either positive or negative, believes your praise can

(10:25):
be nourishment, and sometimes staves for a prais in a
corporate culture, I we know that there can be a
very few evil, wicked, bad and nasty people walking in
some organizations.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
But they're people who are overwhelm themed, over extended, and
can't see clearly extend a word of encouragement because they're
they're proverbial praising guy tank or fuel tank is empty.

Speaker 1 (11:06):
I'm going to move on in a moment or two
talk about praising with timeliness, doing it in time. But
I'd just like you to stop for a moment, for
a couple of minutes, and think of is the three people.
Three people could be workers, colleagues, leaders, who'd done something

(11:28):
valuable for you. Could you make a point of planning
and speaking them within the next three days and extend
the praise they deserve with sincerity. Remember the other day
when you had done X, y Z that really, in reflection,

(11:50):
made a tremendous difference to could be you, the organization,
the team, whatever it is, and see it from the hat.
I always believe in that principle. If you're speaking your truth,
it will resonate with the truth and the other person's have.
Now this other concept of praising with timeliness, doing it

(12:15):
at the right time. In order for your praise to
be timely, you really need to pay attention. Timeliness is
rooted in being in a moment and being in a
lookout for people doing what that matters. Yeah, you could
be running from meeting to meeting to meeting. I've umptyen

(12:36):
me able screaming for your attention. Please keep in mind
that people who matter most to you are continually looking
at you as a leader and taking cues from your behavior.
If you're not knowing for paying attention and seeing in
real time what's taking place and your organ you're missing

(13:01):
stand out for becoming a magnet for finding people doing
good work and multiplying it. And with that in mind,
timelessness is a praising multiplier. Timeliness intentivies and multiplied the
impact of your praising. If received praise four weeks after

(13:21):
you did something really well, the praise it will be
maybe important. But when you delivered quickly, the praise is
triggered and memories that are fresh, this will intensify the
effect of the praise, make it more in your cut,
more visceral. And three, don't rely on your memory. You

(13:48):
know it is a longer time between you know, recounting
the praising of the event. The fewer the details and
specifically that you'll have, you'll lose some of the enthusiasm
as time. Clowse your feelings as well as your memories
and think about timeliness and application. Think about the previous day,

(14:16):
did you experiencing something praise wordy? If so, what was it?
What can you say to the person tomorrow to let
them know the value that you got from it? What
will when will we say it? How will you say it?
Applying it? To think about it the last week or

(14:39):
months and see if we can identify I missed opportunites,
even one to praise someone. What was the outcome of
missing this opportunity to praise a person? What would you
do differently? It's learning from what you may be missed
at the time. What might be the outcome I've been

(15:00):
if you have praised the person at the time. So
we've been speaking about praising with sincerity, praising with timeliness,
and the final one is praising with specificity. What was
it about? Always share the why behind your praise. Endeavor

(15:22):
to communicate the reasons why what the person did is
important to you the customer, an important project, a fellow worker,
a colleague. The greater the specificity, the greater the empire.
Think of praise it's a laser beam that you direct,
cutting through the busyness of the day and target the purpose, promises,

(15:47):
or priorities that are most important to you. Link the
praise you're giving to the individuals their hopes and dreams
or aspirations for their professional or personal life. This really
needs you as a leader to know what's important to person.

(16:09):
But when you do that, making it specific that your
praise can be, it's really more rewarding to the person,
more satisfying for you to deliver. It's about I remember

(16:30):
I listened to he used to be the CEO BP.
Was a field manager when I worked in BP forties.
His name was Brown, John Brown, and he used to
introduce himself, I'm John Brown. Brown was an e now

(16:50):
saying that you remembered his name. And I remember listening
to a beautiful example of leadership. It he'd be speaking
to a chap named Mike. Every so often the BP
leadership team would do what's class does, boots on the

(17:13):
ground that we come to our installations and just for
a walk around, see what's working well, what's not working
so well, how we can improve things, how things were
doing well, how we do more of it? And I
remember asking. He'd be speaking to this lad called Mike,

(17:33):
and this is a very very busy leader, and he said, Mike,
how's your daughter? Said my daughter, Yes, you told me
the last time we spoke that she was at university
sending her finals. Oh he just sparked up, he saying

(17:54):
she's graduated, came out top of her class, top of
her year. I said, she'd done so very well. Thanks
for asking. So that was speciesiccifity, terrible what that to say.
And it's being specific and getting your tongue around that.

(18:16):
But you get the principle making it applicable specific to
the activity. There's something that's happening, something that's important to
the person. Once you get that, you could I could
victually see this lad in front of me, you know,
ten foot tall. So it's having that ability to be

(18:37):
able to make such a difference and possible. A great
thing is that link your praise to continue learning, growth
and of course innovation. A colleague heard of here told
told me that uses a value americal id to his clients.

(19:03):
Valuemerical is similar to commercial a commercial of thirty seconds,
but instead focuses in the value most important to a
team or organization. For example, a leader might start a
nd A team meeting with a message like this before
they get started, I'd like everyone to know that that

(19:28):
Janet did an extending job presenting abb ab Z project
to the executive team yesterday. What made the presentation so
compelling was her explanation of the value customers and her
bottom line will receive now sharp clear, Chris compelling. I'd

(19:54):
like to show her some love when you see her,
and let's take some time meeting and the review what
she had actually done and how she did it that
made their presentation so successful. It's really important for all
of us to be clear chrismin compelling and we can

(20:15):
learn from Janet Okay, back to gender. So it's taking
that we've got a time out, find out the difference
that made the difference and letting other people know about it.
So the organization is learning as well. I used to
do something similar like that when there's the fire service,

(20:37):
and it's the same with we've got this, say, top
notch aircraft display troying the red arrows. It's the hot
feedback when something has went particularly well. It's been able
to at the end of an event, look at what
worked well, what can we do better, what can we

(20:59):
learn from that? And moving on. So finally, praise is
the fuel for transformational growth. Both may I suggest for
you as a leader and for your team, the comments.
The recommendations that are made today can have a positive

(21:19):
impact on your leadership you if you do them, if
you implement now with sincerity, timelessness, and specific to the
activity next week. I'd like to look at the opposite,
the twin side of the coin, and look at when

(21:42):
things are not going so well and the negativity and
how we can how we can change that, and how
we can change negative things to positives things.

Speaker 2 (21:52):
That's it.

Speaker 1 (21:53):
Drain there and dazzle your organization. Finable pol