Issue 5 - April 2003

SUCCESS FILE BY BOB LEVOY
The power of praise

“The deepest principle in human nature,” said psychologist William James, “is the craving to be appreciated.” Notice that he didn’t say “wish” or “desire” or even “longing.” He said craving.

Unfortunately, with the pressures of day-to-day practice, chiropractors sometimes forget about the importance of praise. As one assistant expressed it, “The only feedback I get from the doctor about my work is when I make a mistake. Good work,” she added, “is either unnoticed or unappreciated.”

The feedback gap
In the course of conducting seminars for a wide range of professional groups, I’ve asked more than 1,000 doctors to consider the following statement: I let my employees know when they’re doing a good job and then rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = never; 5 = always). The average response is 4.4.

So far, so good.
At these same seminars, I’ve also asked staff members to consider the statement: The doctor lets me know when I’m doing a good job, using the same rating scale. The average response? Only 1.7.

The difference between the amount of positive feedback doctors say they give their employees and the amount employees say they get is what I call the Feedback Gap. And often, it is the underlying cause of employee resentment, diminished productivity and turnover.

Reality check: How often do you give out praise? More to the point, how often have you failed to do so in situations where praise was truly deserved?

Action steps: If you run out of words to convey praise, here are a few to get you started.

Terrific job… Way to go… Super… Outstanding… Excellent… Well done… These are simple words. Yet, they have a remarkable impact when they are said unexpectedly. It’s always a shot in the arm to learn that someone has noticed and cares about what you are doing.

Bob Levoy is a healthcare management consultant based in Roslyn, NY. He can be reached at 516-626-1353.