There is a feedback paradox for most of us—especially in business. We all want good news, affirmations and encouragement. We thrive when positive energy is directed our way. Yet, for some reason, we are wired to be critical—especially when it comes to assessing
Let me give you an example. According to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, a dissatisfied customer will tell between nine and fifteen people about their bad experience. A happy customer whose issue is favorably resolved will tell four to six people. This means that if the experience, service or issue is bad or not resolved satisfactorily, we are going to spread the negative word around to others. But if an experience, service or issue is positive, we are not likely to “share the love.” To learn more, go to http://bit.ly/2cCFiUe.
I see this sort of thing all the time.
When we are working with a company on strategic planning or succession planning, we usually have a survey for participants in the program. Included in that survey are two simple questions about the company: 1. What are your company’s strengths? 2. What are your company’s weaknesses? (Alternately, we might ask about what the company does well and what it does poorly.)
On the question of strengths or positives, we normally will get a few answers—maybe three or four examples of what the company does well. When we ask about weaknesses, we usually get a laundry list of items! Almost always, participants focus more on the negatives and on what doesn’t work. It seems people have better clarity (and more opinions) about others’ faults.
I think in business, employees, managers and executives are starved for encouragement and affirmations. In a family business with two (or sometimes more) generations involved in the company, there is an even more heightened need for encouragement. Business can get tangled up with the personal and become quite complicated when the boss is also the dad or the mom or another family member.
So what’s the “ideal” praise-to-criticism ratio?
According to a 2013 Harvard Business Review article by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, high-performing teams need six positive comments for every negative one. For more on their study, go to http://bit.ly/1lMh5MR .
During a recent strategic planning session, one of the executives in attendance said he sets a goal of 9:1, with nine positive interactions for every one criticism.
Many executives we deal with are almost overwhelmed with the day-to-day demands of the job and don’t feel they have the margin for all that “rah-rah,” as some call it.
I get it. Most of us are busy enough to feel that way. But research shows, time and again, that positive interactions of all kinds are vitally important to the success of any business.
In previous posts, I discussed how you win (or lose) with your people. If people are your company’s greatest asset, then spending quality, positive time with your people is the greatest return on investment of your time and talent.
Take time to give your team encouragement, affirmation and positive coaching. It will pay off.
So what’s your ratio?
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