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Question: My wife and I run a small business with just a few employees. The other day she overheard me criticize a valued employee and said later I was being too negative. And she was right. I probably need to be more cheerleader and less drill sergeant. Any advice on how? Answer: Bingo! Positive reinforcement in business is becoming a lost art. The constant drive to improve and grow, especially among early stage entrepreneurs, often puts the focus on what needs improvement, rather than on what's being done right. Many of us assume we praise others more often than we actually do. Even one-person businesses can fall victim. Vendors or independent contractors who provide key goods and services can use some positive feedback, just like employees. "As humans, we all have a need to hear that we're doing something right, not just when we do something wrong," says Jeff Durocher, a business psychology expert with RHR International. Chicago-based RHR works with companies worldwide to help them improve performance through people. The best business owners and managers find ways to celebrate the small things. One of greatest at putting this into practice was Harry Quadracci, founder of Quad Graphics. After taking a second mortgage on his house in Wisconsin to start the business, Quadracci built it into one of America's biggest and most successful printing companies with his unbending and passionate belief in putting the spotlight on employees and celebrating their good deeds at every opportunity.
Even the simplest techniques of positive reinforcement will improve trust, loyalty, retention and productivity, says RHR's Durocher. People want to work with those who appreciate them. One of the basic tenets of psychology, in fact, is that reinforced behavior tends to be repeated. If you point out something an employee has done right, they are more likely to do it again. And that's a business no-brainer if ever there was one. Here are three pillars of positive reinforcement:
These resources can help you learn more ways of boosting morale by catching people doing something right:
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Daniel Kehrer (editor@business.com) is Editor at Business.com, the leading business search engine.
© 2006 Business.com, Inc.
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