Eight Ways CEOs Can Become Chief Encouragement Officers

This article appeared in Forbes. You can read that here:

Business appreciation is a paradox. Appreciation is the one employee development tool that costs the business nothing. It is also the one benefit that all employees need and desire. According to Gallup, "Only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days."

Leaders have enormous power to encourage and inspire their teams through their words and actions. If leaders learn this leadership secret, they can improve company morale, employee performance, and communication and teamwork.

Here's how leaders can start their new role as "chief encouragement officer."

1. Public Recognition

One of the best disciplines a CEO can develop is to praise people in public.

One way CEOs can do this is through tribal storytelling. Native American leaders would pass down key values from generation to generation by sharing and repeating certain stories throughout the tribe. CEOs would be wise to follow this tradition, giving examples of team members who acted on values and principles that the organization embodies.

2. Written Notes

Written notes have power. Writing a personal letter is a valuable way to give praise, as it serves as a touch point for thoughtfulness. Personal notes touch deep within a person, and a wise CEO uses this tool to appreciate their team.

Doug Conant, the retired CEO of Campbell Soup, used this tool effectively to turn his company around. He explained his process in an interview in the August 2012 Sloan Management Review. He stated, "I would pick about 10 to 20 things every day and I would hand write a note to the person saying, 'Thanks for the help. I understand we’re ahead of schedule. Nice job.’ Over the course of my career I sent out about 30,000 personal notes, and we only had 20,000 employees."

Imagine the impact it would have on an employee to walk in and find a personal note from the CEO on their desk or at their workstation. If CEOs wrote just one note a day, they would have written over 250 notes a year to their most important people: their team members.

3. Personal Time

People like spending time with their leaders. When a leader takes a little extra time to spend with their team, it's noticed and appreciated. Practice the habit of taking team members on special outings as a way of communicating appreciation. A leader should always have someone next to them. These moments provide an opportunity to personally mentor an employee by passing along key leadership principles.

4. Meaningful Gifts

A gift from a leader is not quickly forgotten. These awards can come in the form of books, gift cards or office tokens. Find ways to personalize your appreciation. For example, I give away 100 Grand candy bars to my team with a note saying "You are worth 100 Grand to me." The team loves it.

5. Saying Thank You

The two most powerful words a CEO can speak are the words, "Thank you." Say this frequently to employees and customers. A great list for a CEO to build on each day is a list of those who have contributed to the success of the business. Spend time each day thanking those people.

6. Taking Time To Listen

Wise leaders take a genuine interest in the people on their team. Smart CEOs take time to pause in the midst of their busy schedule and spend a few minutes listening to key team members' ideas, concerns and thoughts. It speaks volumes about the value a CEO places on a person and can generate trust and goodwill.

7. Giving Grace And Forgiveness

Many times, what employees, teams people desire most is understanding and forgiveness. Mistakes happen in business. How a leader handles errors and setbacks can shape the movement and progress of a team. Giving mercy and grace as the leader can touch people deeply. These defining moments not only create loyalty but often bring about crucial conversations.

8. Giving An Increase In Pay And Benefits

When employees are paid well, they are free to focus on completing their jobs with excellence. This form of appreciation helps with reducing employee turnover and creating a corporate culture where employees feel cared for and loved. Every CEO and company should ensure that their people's pay is aligned with the market. When a leader understands the value of their people, they inspire their people to act with more value.

Once, I was speaking with an executive and asking her to examine the biggest mistake she had made in her long and successful career. She paused for just a moment, then she explained that when she was a younger executive, she focused her attention on the low performers on her team. She had a desire to help lift up their performance. After a period of using this methodology, her star performer left the organization. She asked her high achiever why she was leaving. The employee quietly said, "I don't feel appreciated, you don't spend any time with me." It was a defining moment in her leadership. She then recognized that every person on her team needed the CEO's appreciation.

Leaders have many tools to shows appreciation to their team. Practice these eight, and your organization will benefit greatly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Ken Gosnell is CEO and Servant Leader of CXP (CEO Experience). CXP is a premier coaching and executive roundtable business that serves Christian CEOs in Washington DC, Maryland, and Florida. Ken serves leaders by helping them and their teams to have great experiences that both transform the leader and their organizations to go further faster. He has worked with hundreds of CEOs and their leadership teams to enhance their strategic, operational and people accomplishments. He is a recognized author and member of the Forbes Coached Council. He is married to Shonda, and they have four children. You can connect with him at https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/kengosnell/ 

He has also created the CEO Experience Impact Assessment. This assessment helps leaders learn the areas of their leader that they must improve to go forward. Get your score by taking the assessment here.

Ken is the creator and facilitator of the Christian CEO Linkedin Group. Click here to find out more and to join this group.