May 9, 2006Praise Promotes Loyal Employees, Not Demanding Ones

Filed under: Success Story by merylrunion |

When I was a college student, I was the catalyst for a turning point for my Dad. Fortunately, my dad was always very good about praising me and my siblings at home. However, as owner of a small hardware business for many years, he operated differently.

One day when I was helping him at his office, he told me that someone on his staff did a great job on a project, and I mentioned it to that person in passing later on so they’d know my dad was pleased. Subsequently, my dad confided to me that he hadn’t praised the individual directly because he thought that would lead to them asking for higher compensation. I was flabbergasted. I shared my perspective with my dad – that people who feel they’re appreciated for their good efforts are often willing to work even harder…in horrible situations, for less money than they might earn elsewhere. Thus, I thought he was missing a huge opportunity to let his people know when he thought they were doing a good job, and not worry about the possibility it might translate into a request for a raise downstream. I told him how much it meant to me to hear his praise for good work I did at home, and that his staff probably would equally value his praise.

He took my comments to heart, and began to change his style of interaction. He was always very fair and equitable with his employees, but he now also became more outwardly thankful for any task done well. As a result, his entire staff stayed with him through thick and thin for the next 10 years, until he finally decided to sell the business.