Have you told an employee what a great job he/she is doing recently? Have you received positive feedback for going above and beyond in the past month? Have you overheard others in your organization praise someone for doing more than was expected?

Positive feedback has long been recognized as a critical element in high performing workplaces. During these tough economic times, when job security has vanished and employee trust in their employers has sunk to an all-time low, it has become more important than ever.

Interestingly enough, one of the greatest problems with positive feedback is that many managers don’t feel comfortable giving it. It takes too long, feels insincere or “too soft”, or it just gets in the way of day-to-day activities. Some managers don’t like discussing another person’s behavior, or giving feedback just “isn’t their style.” Yet, few actions will do more to build trust and boost morale than ongoing, sincere feedback of a positive nature.

Humans have an innate need to seek feedback on how we are doing. Without it, people tend to make up information — almost always negative — to fill the void. Giving positive feedback helps to prevent destructive “information gaps,” and strengthens relationships between employees and their supervisors. It also leads to improved work quality, increased accountability and a higher-performing work environment.

Positive feedback starts with knowing when and how to praise employees. Specifically, it involves recognizing and praising employees for particular behaviors and accomplishments that go beyond the everyday expectations of their jobs.

For example, praise employees when they:

• Turn a difficult customer into a promoter
• Reach new levels of accuracy
• Produce more than the amount produced by any predecessor
• Develop or contribute significantly to another colleague
• Create a new process, product or approach
• Present an idea for doing something differently (even if the idea is not implemented)
• Do an exceptional job of influencing internally or externally
• Excel at a presentation
• Participate significantly in a community event on behalf of the company

The idea is to let employees know that you are paying attention and that you appreciate their efforts. Taking a few moments to express your appreciation can have a powerful impact on employees’ self-esteem and their attitudes toward their work and the organization as a whole.

To maximize the impact of your positive feedback, make it:

• Immediate. Give the recognition as soon as possible after the event.
• Specific. State specifically what the person did that met or exceeded your expectations.
• Impactful. Explain how the event or behavior affected you, the team or the organization.
• Encouraging. Focus on the positive only. Be appreciative without mentioning other things that might need to change or be adjusted. These should be saved for times when you are giving constructive feedback.
• Focused. State how the performance or action was positive and contributed to success. This will help prevent other messages, often made up, from taking the employee off track.

For example, “Susan, I really appreciated the way you stepped up to the plate and filled in on the XYZ contract when Richard was out with the flu. Your efforts helped us land a new customer that should increase sales by 10% over the next year.” Or, “Paul, nice job on the presentation today. You got the message across in a way that enabled everyone to have a much better understanding of our objective and why it is important.”

Most of all, positive feedback must be sincere. Never give positive feedback unless you mean it. And don’t praise employees for showing up on time or doing the basics of their job. Employees have very accurate “b.s. detectors,” and will quickly see through any false praise. Insincere positive feedback will just make recipients wonder what your real agenda is or what you are trying to hide. And the next time you give legitimate praise it will have far less impact.

Also, the time has come to jettison the “sandwich” technique, whereby you say something positive, sneak in something you want the employee to do differently, and then finish with a positive. For years, this approach was used to soften the impact of critical feedback, and it worked reasonably well with Baby Boomer and Traditionalist workers.

Gen-Xers, however, quickly saw through this strategy and openly questioned the hidden agenda behind the positive feedback. And the youngest generation, the Millennials, are so accustomed to direct (and often brutal) feedback that they see no point in wasting time by trying to sneak positive feedback into a constructive feedback conversation.

So keep your positive feedback positive, focus on specific events and behaviors that exceed your expectations, and let employees know how much you appreciate their efforts. You’ll improve morale and enhance trust while encouraging higher levels of performance. And today’s stressed-out employees will appreciate your efforts to meet their workplace needs.

Our current recession is good for one thing. Many companies are focusing on “employee engagement,” an approach to more consciously value and act on connecting with passionate employees who truly care about the company.

With businesses failing at a record rate, who doesn’t want to convince nervous workers to remain calm and hang on through the tough times? Research finds, however, that employees seek more engagement with company leaders regardless of the economic situation. Consider some facts from a recent Towers Perrin Global Workforce Study:

• Four out of 10 workers are disenchanted or disengaged today. One-third of employees are looking for greener pastures even in this economy where jobs are scarce.
• Only about 20 percent feel they have full discretion on how to handle their job. In other words, employee empowerment is still a distant dream for most.
• Overall perception of leadership effectiveness is down significantly, yet a strong display of leadership is one of the most critical pieces of keeping a company viable.

Employee Engagement Is No Longer A Nice To Have

Companies like Zappos, an online mega shoe store, have learned how to make employee engagement a competitive differentiator. In 10 short years, Zappos has bootstrapped itself up to $1 billion in sales by creating service-obsessed employees.

The Zappos’ staff actually make less-than-market rate salaries and receive fewer perks compared to many high-flying midsize companies. But Zappos’ employees get something bigger in return. They get access and complete engagement in the business at all levels. CEO Tony Hsieh’s cubicle is in the sea of other work spaces where he’s available to listen to ideas and/or explain where the business is heading. The entire team is in shouting distance of invites to frequent impromptu after-work drinks or dinner.

Zappos and other employee-obsessed companies will drive competition for the best people in the future, and drive productivity and focus today.

Engagement: Creating It and Keeping It

When I work with companies to define an engaging work environment, employees universally tell me they’re looking for five simple (and mostly free) things:

• A challenge. The vast majority of people want to make a difference; knowing they can personally impact the business, even in a relatively small way, is extremely intoxicating.
• A little appreciation. Receiving praise for a job well done every week or so is among Gallup’s famous 12 Elements of Great Managing. The power of a simple “thank you” can’t be under estimated.
• Accountability. Most people want to be in charge of something, large or small, for which they have real responsibility to make decisions.
• Being included. Most people desire to be involved in something greater than themselves; in business, employees want to know how their role fits into the big picture.
• The right work and fair outcomes. Leaders and managers have to pause long enough to define excellence up front so that they stage others for success versus catching them doing it wrong a week from now. This alignment also is the base from which a leader can get employees engaged so they voluntarily want to stretch outside their comfort zones to make an even bigger impact over time.
• The key to extraordinary performance comes down to understanding each employee on six important levels: their spirit, identity, values and beliefs, capabilities, behaviors and effective working environment. The Six Levels of Engagement will be the focus of a future blog entry.

Engaged employees contribute significantly to an organization’s focus. Focus creates energy. Energy creates more engagement. Employee engagement contributes to a perpetually fueled winning culture that is impacted less significantly by the economic conditions outside.

Where to begin? Leaders, of course, get the ball rolling to create a culture of engaged employees. So, first things first… here are two other blog entries to help get started:

How Do You Keep Up as a Leader or Manager Today?
How to Inform, Inspire and Engage Employees in Today’s World

With small signs of an economic recovery in sight, I have noticed many companies making preparations to shift back into high gear. But simply returning to old practices could extend the downturn if one’s business is not aligned with key stakeholders and their evolving needs.

The recent economic turmoil has undoubtedly made customers, employees, suppliers or other key stakeholders look at products and services through a different filter. And new stakeholders may emerge that have greater influence in the future:

• Do the company’s value propositions resonate in the new leaner, meaner era we’re entering? Can stakeholders get excited about it?
• Has technology pushed the IT department above the customer service group in terms of priority?
• Are some key customers still stumbling while new market segments are prepared to move forward aggressively?
• Which suppliers are innovating and could provide a sustainable differentiator in terms of efficiency, pricing and/or willingness to collaborate so you both can grow stronger together?

The New Survival Instinct

By all accounts, Springfield ReManufacturing Corporation in Missouri should have gone bankrupt during the 1980’s recession. Instead, the company embraced a survival instinct born out of necessity when a few employees bought the company in 1983 as a way to save their jobs when International Harvester announced it was closing the facility.

Springfield’s core business is to bolt components together into engines that are used in cars, heavy-duty equipment, tractors, or anything else that moves. The vehicle parts industry is suffering badly these days, but Springfield remains a vibrant company because it constantly re-evaluates its stakeholders and value propositions. This preparation has helped the company quickly switch to adjacent markets of manufacturing natural gas pumps and retrofitting U.S. Postal Service vehicles as the auto industry tanked.

Three Preliminary Steps to Take

The Springfield example emphasizes how revisiting with stakeholders can drive success even when the world outside is melting down. A leader’s first responsibility is to communicate a clear vision of where the company is headed. But the right stakeholders can provide the fuel that will help drive to that vision.

• Step 1: Every stakeholder will ask the “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) question when evaluating a value proposition. Progress will be difficult if the company values don’t line up with the stakeholder values. Getting stakeholder feedback will help validate whether you’re on the right course or not. Help stakeholders articulate their view by using starter phrases…
  • As an indispensable business partner, we provide….
  • As a trusted source, we provide the best experience and expertise to…
  • As the leader of innovation in X, we establish the standards and…

• Step 2: Analyze what each group of customers, staff and suppliers expect. Judgment calls are then made to determine whether expectations can meet realities.
  • Are there new opportunities or different stakeholders that offer a better promise for success? Or are these alternatives too far from the core mission?
  • What changes do stakeholders need to significantly increase the company’s value to them? What can be eliminated? Are there inefficiencies that have emerged as the business has evolved? What critical success factors must remain regardless of anything else?
  • Which stakeholders can make a lasting impact based on the mission? Which stakeholders’ roles need to be changed, or eliminated?

• Step 3: Success can be found where the organization’s mission and value statements intersect with stakeholders’ needs. Distill the final value proposition into clear language that resonates with both internal and external stakeholders. It’s a fine balance. Make it too simple and the value proposition becomes meaningless. Too complicated and the value proposition can be misinterpreted Powerful value propositions have several common characteristics:
  • Consistency with the organization’s mission statement. Stakeholders can become paralyzed if the mission is to market “Blue Widgets,” but the value proposition screams “Green Gadgets.” Seems simple, but many companies miss this part.
  • Compelling value that answer the stakeholders’ “WIIFM” question with confidence.
  • Specific enough to be measurable.
  • Flexible to adjust to changing stakeholder needs.
  • Pride is created among stakeholders; they feel honored to be part of the effort.
  • Inspiration pours out to compel stakeholders to buy into the value proposition, either philosophically or literally.

Determining and constantly evaluating your stakeholder value propositions is an important step to thinking strategically on an ongoing basis. And in tomorrow’s economy, it is a skill set you won’t want to be without.

Have you ever noticed that no matter how much some things change, others remain the same? The modern workplace has changed almost beyond recognition, yet, many companies still manage their employees as if we were in the 80’s.

Twenty-five years ago, managers basically gave employees tasks to complete, providing only as much detail as needed to get the job done. Workers were almost never asked for their ideas, input or critical thinking.

Today, effective leadership involves a lot more than just telling people what to do. To achieve success you must inform, inspire and engage employees so they will choose to go where you are attempting to lead them.

Inform

Informing is the first step in aligning employees and getting buy-in. It starts with sharing the why, what and how of your strategic plan. Then discuss and get clear on individual roles in meeting the goals necessary to achieve the plan.

To feel informed, today’s employees need clarity on:

• The mission statement (why you exist)
• Guiding principles (how you will behave)
• Value propositions (what you offer to key stakeholders)
• Destination points (where you are going in one to three years)
• Strategies (key areas of focus for the entire organization)

Although the need to communicate has not changed over the years, the tools we use to communicate have. Thanks to the Internet and other new technologies, today’s leaders can (and should) communicate in many different ways.

The old standbys — memos, meetings and newsletters — still have their place, only in most cases these have gone digital. In addition to these tools, today’s leaders and managers use e-mail, intranets and online newsletters to communicate quickly and effectively with employees. They also use blogs, webinars and video clips to educate and update employees about company goals and objectives.

Companies with geographically dispersed workforces use conference calls and video teleconferencing to simulate face-to-face interactions. And the more tech-savvy companies, especially those with younger workforces, are even using instant messaging and Twitter to stay connected. Whatever technologies you employ, the key is to communicate often in many different ways to ensure that all employees are focused and aligned.

Inspire

Today’s employees want to believe that their work is making a difference in the world. To inspire others:

• Share a compelling vision of what tomorrow looks like. How will that vision make the world a better place and improve their lives?
• Constantly discuss the aspirational components of your model. Why should employees aspire to achieve the goals your organization has set?
• Share why you believe the destination is compelling. What is it about where the company is going that inspires you?
• Communicate with enthusiasm and passion. Become a cheerleader for the organizational goals.
• Ask employees what the vision means to them. Share their responses via e-mail, intranet and in company meetings.
• Share positive customer feedback. Give people reasons to feel good about what the company does.
• Celebrate achievement of milestones. We all want to be part of a winning team, so recognize the progress and success along the way to your goals.

The ultimate goal is to get employees talking about what the vision, mission and goals mean to them individually. The more they focus on these areas, the more likely you are to get buy-in and alignment.

Engage

Engaged employees bring more than just their bodies to work. They bring their hearts and souls as well as their best thinking. To keep employees engaged:

• Visit with them throughout the year to check on their progress. Make sure all individual goals remain aligned with company goals.
• Share stories of how teams are aligned and achieving goals. Highlight team accomplishments and link them to the strategy they support.
• Create an employee pledge wall or flip chart where people can affirm their commitment by listing one thing they will do differently to support the goals.
• To measure employee understanding, commitment, inspiration and engagement, take quick surveys following team or company meetings.
• Solicit questions via email or intranet and address them in open forums. Publicly thank employees for raising the issues.

Remember that as a leader or manager, your behavior speaks much louder than your words. What are you doing (and not just saying) that communicates the importance of the company’s goals? Conversely, what are you doing that might send a conflicting message? The more your behavior is in alignment with what you are saying, the more you will inform, inspire and engage your employees.

What are you saying and who are you saying it to?

Remember that, in a void, employees will fill in the blanks with meaning and interpretation typically much worse than the truth! They will MSU (make stuff up). We are all quite good at it; interpreting body language, tone and inflection and often jumping straight to conclusions based in very little data! Right now, all of us are surrounded by negative messages. They dominate the news, breakroom conversations and radio waves. Almost everyone has a friend, family member or neighbor who has been laid off or will be soon. It is critical leaders over communicate and constantly state where you are going and why you can still win.

Employee ponderings are likely to include:

• Is leadership clued in to what is going on?
• Is the company responding quickly enough or will we be the next one to fall apart?
• Is my project still important?
• Am I still important?

Whether you are directly hearing these things are not, it is highly likely they are common thought bubbles among employees. Quite simply, almost everyone is at least a little worried about their job these days (according to a recent workplace poll by Gallup of US workers, more than 80% of all employees are ‘deeply concerned about the success of their organization’). This is a dramatic increase from one year ago when numbers averaged in the 20% range!

Remember, as leaders, we have been in countless meetings looking at the current environment and exploring how and why we can still win in the future. However, employees have not been privy to these conversations. They do, however, see messages and are impacted by cuts in travel and other expense reductions. They hear stories, typically with little data to back them up, about competition and what is going on in the market. After living in tough times for several months (and even longer for some organizations and industries) and with employees already feeling a bit worn down, it is more important than ever to over communicate!

Setting the stage and leadership responsibility:

• What are the key messages you should communicate right now and what do you want all managers communicating throughout the organization? How can you keep this in front of managers and employees?
• What are the significant forces at play in our markets?
• How is our company positioned to win?
• What is leadership concerned about AND addressing?
• What is staying the same despite all these changes?
• What are the top three most important business priorities for the next 3 months? …next 6 months?
• What are some personal feelings about the current situation (what does it mean to leaders to navigate through this with a strong team, how are individual leaders keeping themselves focused, etc.)?

Following is a template to assist you in communicating effectively:

• Develop the story
  • What has happened
    • honest and candid, providing as much information as possible (remember that employees will always fill in the blanks with negative stories so give as much detail as possible while focusing on the positive)
  • What’s next
    • where the organization needs to go & why
      • business justification
      • customer needs
      • industry demands/trends
      • internal efficiencies
      • what will it look like when we get there (as best as you can tell today)
    • what are the advantages/benefits of getting there
    • address implementation specifics for any changes
      • timing
      • how people will be kept informed throughout the process
      • employee responsibilities
        • employee next steps and “to do’s”
        • describe the support (e.g. people, technology, assistance) that will be provided
  • What it means to me
    • speak to both what it means to the leader(s) as well as what it means to each audience member
    • identify key things that will not be changing (what could provide a sense of stability, continuity, and identity to the group?)

You cannot communicate too much in tough times and there is little that is more important. Take the time each month to develop your message and make sure it gets shared throughout your organization.