Affirmations and Compliments are Not Efficient

Strictly speaking, it’s not a par­tic­u­larly efficient use of your time to tell people that they are doing a great job. Effi­ciency is a measure of how much work you put in versus how much you get out. Talking to your col­leagues and giving them an attaboy provides no immediate effi­ciency gains. In fact, it may seem like it *wastes* precious minutes. But in the long run, accurate com­pli­ments and sup­port­ive messages are actually one of the most effective ways to improve pro­duc­tiv­ity, build rapport and strengthen business rela­tion­ships. Those short moments are a small price to pay for one of the best invest­ments you can make in your con­nec­tion to others in the workplace.

How to Say It

If the worst thing you can do is never tell anyone you appre­ci­ate them, the second worst is telling them too often or in the wrong way. You must learn what each person prefers. Some people, for example, like being told in-person. Others appre­ci­ate a voicemail message or a hand-written card. Others thrive on being called out in front of a group, whereas this would terrify other people.

How do you find out how people like to be rec­og­nized? Ask. And you don’t have to be direct—you can get others to tell you what they like best by involving them in the process. Consider these approaches:

• Have you ever worked at a company where there are awards?

• How do you feel about that?

• Do you think anyone here is doing a great job? How should we let them know we appre­ci­ate it?

• Do we do enough recog­ni­tion here in general?

When to Say It

The best time to tell someone they are doing a great job is when they least expect it. That’s because you don’t want to create a mechanism in which people feel like they only get rec­og­nized when they are noticed. The old man­age­ment adage holds true: “catch people doing something right.”

Who Should Say It

Everyone should feel free to tell people they are doing well. But a positive message has the most effect when it comes from someone you respect. That’s why it’s almost always a good use of time to get someone else involved, espe­cially if they are revered by others.

Don’t Forget, It’s Not Efficient

Giving out com­pli­ments takes time away from work. It’s a dis­trac­tion. It prevents people from making progress because they are talking about progress that’s already been made. But it’s really an invest­ment. It helps us all trust and respect each other more, which ulti­mately leads to more productivity.