Positive feedback can work miracles

Success Problem

We live in a causal world, where everything is a chain of causes and consequences. Labeling something as a coincidence is just a lack of knowledge of the causes. One of the important cause and effect factors is feedback

Impact

The probability of recurrence of an activity is highly dependent on the feedback received. The activity is more likely to repeat after strong positive feedback, less likely after none and least likely after a strong negative feedback. A positive feedback gives a message: "I will be very happy if something like this happens again" and can therefore be our means of achieving a future repeat of the activity.

Recommendation

Taking into account the above, it is in our own interest to give a positive feedback where we want the activity to be repeated. E.g. if - Someone will do something for us - A member of our team will do an excellent job - Something will work out for us, ... And how to give a positive feedback? 1. Praise - praise the originator directly or at his manager. Choose the form according to the recipient's preferences. Some people will enjoy a longer verbal praise, someone will be satisfied with "Great job, thank you!" in an email. We may also praise ourselves to ourselves if we deserve it. 2. Say "Thank you" - in addition to the acknowledgement itself we can better realize, that we have received something and it is not a matter of course. If you happen to not know whom to thank, just say "thank you" and it will find the right recipient.

Category

• Engagement & Motivation
• Leadership
• Self management
• Teamwork & Influencing
• Personal Communication