Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Go Ahead, Make My Day

People like it when you complement their business. We spend so much time doing our jobs, that a little "hey, good job" goes a long way to make someone feel better about themselves.

I try to tell people when they do something that is impressive. A waitress who gives exceptional service gets a big tip, but one should also pull her (or better yet, her and her boss) aside and point out how her efforts made your restaurant experience phenomenal.

In our culture people are quick to criticize (either publicly or privately. And don't get me started about the anonymous world on-line where folks are down right nasty). Yet nobody feels the need to praise others.

Yesterday I got a phone call from a friend of mine. He had given my books to some co-workers, and one of them had come back and shared their appreciation for reading them, and how they were motivated by the words. My friend called me at home last night to share the comments, which were detailed as to what inspired the reader. It made my day. It erased other parts of my afternoon that had not been pleasant.

He did not have take the time to call me and share this information, but he did it anyway. His small investment in time had a big impact.

When I worked inside a major law firms (in marekting and business development), I was asked what was the biggest "difference" I found being in a firm vs. a corporate environment. My answer was that in a company there tended to be more praise when you had an accomplishment. There were more "att-a-boys". One of the attorneys told me just to pat myself on the back every time I used the parking card and the gate went up..."Attaboy!". It was a funny answer, but somehow too close to the truth.

Take the time to tell people when they are doing something right. Do not assume that they already know how you feel, or that doing a good job is just expected.

Here is your challenge. Before today is over, find someone to praise. Do it in person. Make a call. If the day is almost over, send them an email or a text message. But tell them why they are good at their job. You will be amazed....it will make their day.

Have A Great Day.

thom
www.thomsinger.com

*****Purchase Some Assembly Required and The ABC's of Networking at Amazon.com

1 comment:

Dale Chumbley said...

This is a great post. It is so true that people won’t take the time to praise someone who does a good job or even goes above and beyond the normal call of duty (isn’t it a treat when that happens?) Hopefully everyone who reads this will take the time to praise someone for a job well done. Or better yet, let the person’s boss know how happy you are with them.

A great book on this subject is How Full Is Your Bucket?, it is another easy read that encourages people to think about filling people’s buckets up as opposed to taking away from them. Give it a read if you haven’t already.