praise580x180

Last week, we addressed the reason you don’t get compliments and what to do about it.

This week, let’s take a deep dive on why leaders (often unknowingly) avoid praising their team, and consequently miss out on the opportunity to strengthen trust, engagement and productivity.

Said simply, leaders avoid praising their team because of a faulty belief—praising others signals weakness as a leader. The belief is that the more critical they are, the more honest and better they are as a leader.

This isn’t actually true.

When we dig a little deeper, leaders who prefer giving positive feedback (or as I like to refer to it, sweet feedback) to constructive criticism (or as I like to refer to it, sour feedback) are actually more effective. With an eye for greatness (or even goodness), these leaders build the foundation (trust) for sour feedback to be heard and acted upon.

Said another way, those who consistently take the time to acknowledge good work set themselves up as trusted advisors in areas that need improvement. By intentionally looking for and acknowledging good work consistently, you build the trust necessary to help your team grow in other areas of their work.

It’s easy to focus on faults, and highly rewarding to acknowledge and appreciate great qualities and results. Praise progress and watch as your feedback becomes treasured and transformational, netting remarkable results in all areas of your life and work.

Here’s to your greatness,

Misti Burmeister