Managers' Words of Appreciation - A Key to Employee Motivation

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
―Rudyard Kipling

Thousands of words pour out from our mouth each and every day; the words of love, happiness, contentment, anger, hate and sadness. These words are dependent on our moods, thoughts, feelings and emotions. They are so effective and powerful that they can create a reaction and can change the moods, emotions, thoughts, and feelings of the other people around us. Words have the ability to inspire, motivate, and encourage; or dismiss, disappoint, and discourage. “With your words, you wield the power to plant seeds of either success or failure in the mind of another, and in the process you reveal who you are, how you think, and what you believe,” says Darlene Price, author of Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results.

“Make employees feel appreciated, and they will work harder and be more loyal”

Words of praise by the manager are a key to high employee motivation, high self-esteem and positive morale. A few words of appreciation and praise by a manager can go a long way. They make employees more engaged in the work that they do and make them more committed to their teams and organizations. Recent surveys addressed the growing issue of low morale among company employees. Over eighty nine percent of surveyed employees said that the best way managers could increase the motivation and improve the workplace was to offer more praise for a job well done. I believe as a manager, your impact on employee motivation is incalculable. By your words, your body language, and the expressions on your face, you can send a message of value, respect and appreciation or disrespect, discouragement and de-motivation. In short you can make their day or break their day. Managers, who start their day with words of apperception and praise, create the best working environment and most productive and positive teams in the organizations.

Building high employee motivation and morale is both challenging and yet extremely simple for managers. You just need to use WORDS…but be careful with your words and try to draft them wisely. Better to use simple, appropriate and positive words to recognize your teams’ hard work. Charles M. Schwab was widely respected for his people skills. He says, “I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement.” Deliberately crafting positive words to communicate with your teams, transforms them into power phrases which actually trigger highly motivated behavior. For example: ‘Thank you for the enthusiasm you add to the team, you are a great contributor.’ Or ‘Awesome, You outdid yourself today.’ Or, ‘Terrific, I am proud of you.’” Try using these phrases! It will surely make a great difference in someone else's life… and yours too!

While giving praise is important, it's equally important to make your words of praise heard by your employees and team. So….

1. Praise Publically – 81% of employees seldom or never received public praise (A Research from Wichita State University). Use your words of praise and appreciation publicly (in team meetings etc). Public praise increases your employees’ self-esteem and they feel proud among their peers.
2. Praise Timely – Do not wait for periodic performance reviews, try to recognize and acknowledge your employees efforts in real time.
3. Praise Honestly – Your praise should come from your heart. Your employee will feel it!
4. Praise Individually – Always use “You” rather than “We” or “I” but don’t praise an individual on a team related effort – be careful.
5. Praise Explicitly – Be specific and focused. “Well done” is less effective than “I appreciate you got the project done on time and on budget” and “We are thrilled to have you on our team and this is exactly why we need you”

Most importantly, be genuine in recognizing and appreciating even small successes. Remember…words have the power of life and death. So choose life! For you and for others!!