Research shows that we’re hard-wired to absorb criticism at a much higher internal decibel level than we absorb compliments. It takes the impact of three to five positive comments to equal the impact of one negative comment.
Have you ever wondered why your team isn’t moving faster? One of my clients, a senior vice president, was at her wit’s end trying to get more speed of execution. In fact, she was at a crossroads; the reorganization she had spearheaded was three months post-rollout, and she was expected by her president to deliver results.
 The team , all capable and skilled individuals themselves, was moving cautiously. At times they seemed to be drifting, though they clearly had been given their marching orders. She was worried.
While interviewing her team members, I asked the question, “How do you know when you’re going in the right direction?” “That’s the problem,” her direct reports said. “We always know when we’re going in the wrong direction. She tells us that immediately. But too often when we’re forced to make critical course changes, we don’t get the specific guidance and support we need.”
Her 360 feedback results confirmed this; she was given low marks from stakeholders on measures that reflected her skill in developing employee talents and setting a positive example.
When she received this feedback, she was astonished. She knew she was tough, but she thought her management style was well balanced between critical and encouraging comments. What she didn’t know is that balance in the traditional sense just isn’t good enough.
Research shows that we’re hard-wired to absorb criticism at a much higher internal decibel level than we absorb compliments. There are exceptions to this rule, of course. But for most of us, it takes the impact of three to five positive comments to equal the impact of one negative comment. As we make deposits to and withdrawals from our employees’ “motivational bank account,” consider whether you are ever overdrawn from their perspective. If your positive and negative comments occur at an even rate, you are likely to be operating in the red.
And if so, what’s the cost to performance? Are “attaboys” and encouragement just fluff or do they produce measurable business results?
Think for a moment: if your employees spend fifteen minutes per day fuming, complaining or feeling demoralized about your management style, how much time does that take away from activities that are mission-critical? How much time does that amount to each quarter? What are the direct and indirect costs of this to your organization? What if you could harness all that energy in the direction of your goals?
Does this mean becoming a Pollyanna, saying nothing at all that’s not positive? Of course not.
Leadership requires setting the vision, charting the course and correcting off-course actions. It’s not an all-or-none situation, though, and the fact is, most of us think we’re more encouraging than our employees perceive us to be.
Our senior vice president tried it out for a quarter. To her delight, she noticed that not only did performance measures improve, she noticed something else: more smiling employees with more energy and innovation on the job. The cost of this: extra time each day noticing successes and good efforts. Was the effort worthwhile? She thought so.
Coach’s tip: Think about your own leadership style. What balance of encouragement to criticism do you aspire to? What is the value of noticing successes and good efforts to your team? Consider keeping track of the deposits and withdrawals you make to the Motivational Bank Accounts of your direct reports. Click here to see all my blogs
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 Patricia Wheeler, Ph.D. is an executive and team coach who helps smart people become more effective leaders. She is Marshall Goldsmith’s partner in Leading News (www.LeadingNews.org ) an online executive resource which features leadership development articles and events. Patricia and Marshall invite you to subscribe now. She is frequently quoted in sources such as Forbes, Leadership Excellence, Harvard Business Online and Talent Management.
For over 20 years Patricia has worked with senior leaders and their teams in many industries, from Fortune 500 organizations to small, privately owned companies. Her clients are talented, knowledgeable executives who must innovate, maintain speed of execution and balance competing concerns in an increasingly fast paced, competitive world. You may contact Patricia by E-mail at \n
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