The fastest accelerator of motivation

What is the single, best way for leaders to boost the motivation of their people?

Clue….it is not a pay rise!

This one costs nothing, only takes seconds to do and the impact can be huge.

The answer? Giving people genuine, sincere positive feedback or thanks.

A few seconds and that’s it!

So why don’t we see this more often?

This usually comes down to the beliefs of the person giving the feedback.

➡️ Some may believe it will make them look weak if they give positive feedback.
➡️ Some may believe they don’t have time for niceties like this – Really? They don’t have 10 second to spare?
➡️ Some may believe it will make the person complacent – Really? Have you actually met someone who, on receipt of praise, got lazy?
➡️ Or some may believe that if they give someone too much praise, that person will want a pay rise. Really? If this is the case, an ‘honest conversation’ with that person will be needed!

The good news is that these are only beliefs. Not facts. We can’t stop beliefs coming into our heads but that doesn’t mean we need to act on them. We can choose our response to them.

The bottom line is that done well, positive feedback is a fantastic motivator, there is no real excuse for not doing it and the benefits of making it part of our leadership DNA are exponential.

Oh, and when we do it and see the impact, we feel good too!