In praise of praise
It is common knowledge in management thought that praise is one of the most effective motivators of staff. Even more effective than monetary incentives, in the long term.
This past term, I have received praise on two occasions for my instructing ability. The first instance, the prof. specifically came and found me outside of class time to tell me how impressed she was with my ability to explain complex statistics. The second time a different professor ran into me in the halls and stopped me to say that my 'talk' was on a completely different level from my peers.
Now, its not like I haven't recieved acknowledgement of my abilities before. I recieve essays with grades and comments on them all the time, and they might include a nice word or two. Heck, I've even been nominiated for an award for academic accomplishment. But the truth is that these don't compare to the simple act of personally telling a person that they did a good job.
In retrospect, a big part of what made my summer co-op so enjoyable was that my boss, Amanda, was not hesitant to tell me that I had done a good job if she thought it.
It's a simple thing, really, but very effective.
Wow, that is awesome. Serious congrats on getting words like those.
Getting praise about getting praise? Sure, why not?
Ian
This wasn't intended to be a 'gloat' post, so I hope people don't read it as that. This was more of a reminder that as managers and colleagues, we should make a point of praising good work when it happens, because I think when you do, you will find that good work happens more often, and esteem for colleagues goes up.
In my position, as a graduate entering the big wide world of job hunting and 'real' work, I also need to cling tightly to what I 'know' to be true: what I can recognize as my skill set. Having people point out what they feel is a working skill is a huge asset for me.
Better than a poke in the eye!
Hm, depends if you consider getting poked in the eye akin to a pat on the back. If you do, you probably have a high pain threshold. And one eye.