How to Develop Superstars

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John was excited about his first job. He worked hard the first few months to learn necessary skills. He wanted to do the best he could and hoped to come up with some ideas to increase his productivity. At first, he received little, if any feedback. He was given only minimal direction and supervision. Finally, plagued with frustration, he went to his supervisor, Tom Grant. "Mr. Grant, how am I doing? I really want to do well in this job. But I don't have any feeling as to whether I am doing well or not." Mr. Grant's gruff response was, "You're doing just fine, John. I’ll let you know if you're not."

Unfortunately, too many businesses are run this way.

The only time the supervisor gives you feedback is when you are making mistakes, tearing John's self-esteem apart and leaving him in a motivational limbo state. Mr. Grant, with a little praise and a few kind words, could have given John the inspiration he wanted to keep doing well.

How good are you at motivating your staff? Are they growing and learning? Are they consistently progressing? It depends on your management style. There are five:

Theory X (Do it because I told you);
Theory Y (Management by objectives with staff input);
Inspirational management (A cheerleader without much regard for strategy);
Laissez-faire (If I don’t talk to you, everything is okay); and
Situational leadership (A dynamic process balancing motivation and competence).

Unless you work towards one style, you are probably a laissez faire manager. You just expect folks to do their job. When they don’t, you will have a chat with them.

As I have written in this publication before, money is why staff members joined your firm. But lack of recognition is why they left or are planning to leave. If you praise, you will keep your staff longer. But if you praise effectively, you will also motivate them to do consistently even better.

The need for praise

If you want someone to develop a skill, praise them for it first. Comment on one activity that the person does well and is similar to the new activity you wish them to learn. My tennis coach at the University of California at San Diego was a master at using praise to develop skills. He would praise an aspect of my game with such tact that I was compelled to make it even better. During a practice match, when my serve was a bit erratic, the coach said, "I really like your ball toss. Try to toss it higher and it will be even better." That bit of praise made me feel good, but more importantly, forced me to concentrate on tossing it higher and improve more.

Praise at least twice per day

You may be thinking, "My employees don't do anything worth praising!" So, catch them in the act of doing something right. One of my coaching clients had a staff of 15 and often tried to motivate them with incentives. This only lasted a short time. Even though it was awkward, he tried praising everyone twice a day. Within one week, an admin person asked what he had done differently. The place seemed so much more fun. She looked forward to working now. That is the power of recognition and praise.

The three-step praise

Every great manager not only knows when but also how to praise. If you want praise to make a difference, use these three steps:

Praise in front of other people

When you praise someone, do it in front of others. Not only do they want to do something that gets praised but you will create a more enjoyable environment.

Praise the behavior, not just the person

When you praise a behavior, you will get more of it. If you just say, “good job” the person you praise will also feel valued. But if you praise a specific behavior, that which you praise will get replicated. For example, “Great job on turning that client around. She was upset when she came in. But you listened and made her feel really good. That’s a great skill and thanks for doing it. The person getting praised will focus on doing that behavior again.

Praise them globally

Tell them how much you appreciate them. This type of praise makes them feel good and the result will be even better performance.

Successive approximation

You can also use praise to develop and motivate your staff. Have you ever wondered how the trainers at Sea World get Shamu to jump through a fiery hoop 100 ft in the air? Do they dangle fish until one day, Shamu jumps up a story? They approximate a reward to eventually hit the behavior they want. One day, a fish is fed when Shamu pokes her nose through the hoop on top of the water. The next day, it’s six inches up. Then a foot until Shamu hits the 100 ft target. The next step is light the hoop on fire and start the process again.

Let’s say a staffer is constantly 30 minutes late to work. Do you wait to praise him only when he arrives on time? No, you praise him for being 25 minutes late, a little earlier. Next you praise for being 20 minutes late and so on until you modify the behavior. After a few days, you praise only for being on time.

Let the staffer know the expectation. Then you successively praise them into being earlier until you hit the behavior you want.

The three-step reprimand

Reprimanding a behavior is substantially more difficult. Most managers avoid it and therefore aren’t well practiced. They often reprimand only when they are upset and too angry to hold it in. That is exactly when we should not reprimand. It is hard to correct behavior when you reprimand someone out of anger. Here is a three-step reprimand that will work to ensure you maintain a good working environment and ensure great performance.

Always reprimand alone

If you reprimand in front of others, they will sabotage you behind your back. About 25 years ago, I reprimanded a marketer in front of two other staffers. I returned from lunch to an empty office. They all quit.

Reprimand the behavior, not the person

When you reprimand the person, they may not take it constructively. We want the behavior to change. We want them to improve that part of the job. Don’t say, “You did that wrong,” instead say, “This wasn’t done right.” Take the blame away. This will help them change their behavior. You will never be able to change the whole person. But you can change a single behavior.

Praise them globally

Your staff will take reprimands better if you praise them afterward. The objective during a reprimand isn’t to make staff feel bad; it is to change behavior.

In my coaching practice, I encourage clients to call their own clients every three months using what I call the three-month call script. This is one of the most important skills and habits you can utilize to increase revenues and keep good clients. But reluctance sets in. I usually start by praising my clients for getting closer to their weekly call goal. But some weeks, even that behavior falls apart. I gently reprimand them by saying how important three-month calls are and how they must get done. I never reprimand the client. I always reprimand the behavior. Eventually the change is made, and the calls get made. Business increases and my clients always build more referrals.

Praise will motivate your staff. But how you praise and reprimand is the difference between growing your practice and stagnating.

I would love to send you a free video on “How to Motivate People.” Write me at [email protected] or call 714-368-3650. We will spend a few minutes talking about your goals for increasing your business this year.

Dr. Kerry Johnson is “America’s Business Psychologist.” He is the best-selling author of 17 books including the recently released, How to Recruit, Hire and Retain Great People. He is also a frequent speaker at financial conferences around the world. Peak Performance Coaching, his one-on-one coaching program, promises to increase your business by 80% in 8 weeks. To see if you are a candidate for this fast-track system, click on www.KerryJohnson.com/coaching and take a free evaluation test. You will learn about your strengths and what is holding you back. Or call, 714-368-3650 for more information

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