There’s a lot written about praising employees. If this is something that doesn’t come naturally to you, it’s a good thing to start doing from time to time when it’s warranted.
But never manufacture praise or make things up so that you have something positive to say. Manufactured praise:
- Makes for entitled employees. They are getting something nice that they haven’t earned. Never a good idea.
- Dilutes and undermines the real thing.
When someone has worked really hard and gone above and beyond, any praise they receive is earned and feels great for them as it should. Getting praised for an average effort reinforces the belief that average is good. In reality, their wage more than covers their average performance. Praise should be a reward reserved for having done something special.
