Using a 200,000-person study on employee engagement, authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton wrote the New York Times mega-bestseller
The Carrot Principle. Their research revealed there are three principles that the best managers follow when recognizing and appreciating their employees:
1.
Make it frequent.
The research showed that employees in the best workplaces receive some form of recognition every seven days. This includes verbal praise, emails of thanks, handwritten notes, and so on.
2.
Make it specific.
Praise must be specific to what matters most in your organization. General praise can actually backfire, since it implies that you haven’t noticed an employee’s unique contribution.
3.
Make it timely.
Day-to-day recognition should be timely to the action, showing that you are paying attention. When employees go above and beyond, they expect your thanks—or quite simply, they might not go above and beyond again.
For even more insights into leadership,
contact us to download a complimentary copy of the first chapter of Elton and Gostick’s latest book, The Orange Revolution (coming September 2010). The book features the findings from a 350,000-person study showing the characteristics of the world’s best teams.
