By Matt Zobrist

The first and most powerful type of coaching is positive feedback. Positive feedback consists of praise, appreciation, and acknowledgment given when performance or behaviors meet or exceed standard. When done correctly, positive feedback will easily get team members to replicate good performance, unlock their discretionary effort and routinely exceed standards. Some leaders struggle to provide a sufficient quantity and quality of positive feedback. Here are six ways to overcome the most common obstacles (rationalizations) the keep us from providing positive feedback.

1. Idea that pay for work is sufficient —this is an outdated mind-set. Further, it is an excuse used by a leader who does not want (or is afraid) to praise and appreciate. Pay is the compensation an organization provides for the lowest level of acceptable performance. We need to realize the most people want more from a job than simply a paycheck. A paycheck does not buy a team member’s engagement or motivation to provide effort beyond the minimum. Today’s workforce is going to be more productive when they feel appreciated, are recognized for their work, and are engaged. More importantly, we need to stop rationalizing our failure to praise because they are getting paid.

2. Just doing their job doesn’t deserve praise – Some bosses say that no one deserves to be praised for just doing his or her job. This is false, and just like the first obstacle, without praise and appreciation, team members rarely do more than required. Additionally, team members who are performing to standard are just as deserving of praise as those who excel. Praise and appreciation are the fundamental steps to getting them to move their needle towards (eventually) performing above standard. If you don’t praise for standard performance, you will not be able to praise for higher performance because your team won’t ever get there. They will be very unlikely to even try to do anything but the minimum. You will never be able to unlock their discretionary effort.

3. I do not hear it from my leader – First, you should never rationalize your own behavior on account of others. Second, your responsibility is to your team. One of my favorite quotes by Simon Sinek is “Be the leaders you wish you had.” It is true that it is hard to provide positive feedback when you are not getting any. However, the reality is that your team deserves to be recognized and appreciated by you (their leader), regardless if you are receiving it from yours. Don’t deprive them of the positive feedback they so desperately deserve, simply because you are not getting it. PRO TIP: If you consistently and sincerely provide positive feedback to your team, eventually, they will provide it back to you.

4. They don’t want to hear it – Human beings all have ego needs (see Maslow) and everyone likes to be told when they have done something good. Additionally, when that praise comes from someone in authority (and hopefully respected) it has more meaning. Even those who say they are “just doing their job” or there is “no need” for compliments, are just raising false flags. This is often a result of the cultural stigma of not “tooting one’s own horn.” Every they do something worthy of praise, something you (your organization) wants replicated – Tell them! If they object, tell them again. PRO TIP: Overcome the “I don’t need recognition” objection by shifting the burden of feigned embarrassment to yourself, by saying, “I need you to know, that I appreciate/recognize/praise that.”

5. They know, I don’t have to tell them – This excuse assumes (wrongly) two things: First, that a team member knows when their performance is appreciated and praiseworthy; and second, that a team member’s internal self-talk is sufficient that when they do something well, they automatically know and will continue the behavior. In reality, team members are starving to know where they stand with their boss and if they are doing things right. None of your team members has the ability to read your mind, so the only way they can know is by you telling them. PRO TIP: It is not just about them knowing, but the fact that their leader knows and recognizes it!

6. I’m too busy – This is probably the lamest, yet most frequently cited excuse for failing to provide positive (or any) feedback. The reason I say that is two-fold: First, if it was important to you, you would make time for it. If we genuinely want our team members’ performance to be excellent then we must make providing positive feedback a priority! When it is important, you will make the time for it. Second, it is usually applied retroactively. That is, we tend to only recognize the lack of it AFTER we failed to provide it. We rationalize this failure by noting we just did not have time. Because the benefits of positive feedback are so valuable, we must make it a priority. It must be important do us, great leaders do this as a matter of habit. PRO TIP: If it is difficult to carve time out of your busy schedule to provide positive feedback then put sometime on your daily agenda (say 15-20 minutes at the end of the day) to just recall and write down things you team members did that were noteworthy. Also put 15-20 minutes on your morning schedule to follow up on that list the next day. Carry it around with you and mark off the tasks as you provide the feedback. Soon you will find that you won’t be waiting until the end of the day and you will be providing positive feedback in a timely manner every day.

Positive Feedback is the bread and butter of a good leader. It is the linchpin to unlocking an individual’s discretionary effort and getting high level performance from your team. Consistently providing positive feedback will also build the loyalty and trust, which high-functioning teams require to succeed.

By Matt Zobrist

Working from home (WFH) is now becoming a necessity. But, working from home, contrary to popular belief is not easy. It actually requires a lot of emotional and mental focus to stay productive. Here are some tips to help you be productive when you WFH:

Keep “work” space separate – The need to have a specific are where you are “at work” is very important. Our brains respond to our environment. We have programmed ourselves to know that home is a relax area, or our bedroom is where we sleep. WFH requires us to reprogram ourselves to work in those same areas; it is very hard to do. If possible, set your “work area” or home office up in another room entirely from where you normally relax. If not, take steps to separate the area where you will work.

Have a plan – Organization is key to building new routines. Working from home is new, we don’t have any routines or procedures. Perhaps your organization has given your guidelines (when to logon remotely, meeting times, production schedules, etc.) but without proper planning, it is very easy to mismanage your time at home. Having a plan keeps us focused on tasks and accomplishing goals, so we are less likely to become distracted.

Dress for work – while working in your pajamas is kind of fun, the reality is that when you prepare yourself to go to work, even when you are home, it helps you mentally shift gears to work mode. Additionally, when you are working, if you are dressed for work, it is easier to stay focused on you job.

Don’t work from the couch/bed – The temptation is great to just lug your laptop around and sit on the couch. You should be sitting at a desk/table in a good chair. Positional laziness translates into actual laziness. Have your designated work area as similar to your real work area to facilitate continuity of your work.

Don’t do housework/chores/honey-dos during “work” time – We all have a myriad of things we can do at home dishes, laundry, projects, etc. It can be very easy to work on these responsibilities rather than focus on your employment tasks. That isn’t to say that with careful planning you cannot accomplish both, but it is very easy to become overcommitted to home chores and neglect the job you are being paid to do.

Know your distractions and minimize them! – The temptation to be on social media at work is very high, in fact a majority of workers engage in some social media time while at work. When you are at home, this time can easily multiply leading to lost productivity. Dealing with family issues is another big distraction. Kids (and spouses) know you are home and may want to spend time with you. This is a double-edge sword of WFH: you appear to have more time with your family, but you really don’t because you have a fiduciary responsibility to your employer to be productive. Make sure you have clear rules for family interactions, like only on breaks with specific, pre-set time limits.

Social Contact – we are social creatures. We enjoy, some people actually crave, that water-cooler talk. We need to keep our social interactions alive, so use technology to communicate with your co-workers, when you can’t do it in person. Be aware this can become a distraction if not done with limits on time and context. Such as, socialize for a bit after speaking about work; don’t just make a social call.

Get up and move around – One advantage of working from home is when you take a break, you have lots of thing you can do. Often at work we get up, walk around, talk to people, get things off a printer, go to the mail room, go to someone else’ office, etc. without realizing it. Without those things we end up becoming too sedentary. Walk around your house, take a break and go outside. Take some time to get the blood flowing and you will refresh yourself and be able to renew your focus.

For Leaders whose team(s) work from home, a few things to consider as well:

Establish clear WFH Policies – Have clearly established guidelines covering things like: how time will be tracked (if at all), proper use of company equipment (laptop, phones, etc), any reimbursement for personal items used, reporting procedures / times, etc.

Expectations – While you should always have clear expectations for performance, when you add WFH, it becomes very important that your team knows what is expected. As the line between “my time” and “work time” is easily blurred, having clear and written expectations allows team members to work more autonomously, and yet still have sufficient guidance to plan and be successful.

Guidelines for on-the-job injuries – It is a generally a good idea for WFH teams to understand what would or would not be a workers’ compensation claim if they are injured working remotely. Providing good guidelines for team members to know when they are not covered also helps them to remain focused on work.

Be Flexible – A big part of the reason you are allowing your team to work remotely is for them to have more control over their schedules. Be understanding and flexible in allowing them to figure out their schedules, capabilities, etc. This may take some time for them to establish a routine to become productive. Allow them to work this out, while consistently providing feedback to bolster their confidence and keep them on track.

Don’t doubt your commitment – Transitioning to a successful WFH environment is not going to happen overnight. (Even if you have to implement it overnight) It is going to take time for team members to develop productive habits and routines. They are going to struggle at first, you are going to struggle too. Do not doubt your commitment. They will reflect your attitude towards the whole endeavor. If you doubt it will work, it probably won’t. Remain positive, be encouraging and trust them; don’t give up, you and your team can make it work!

By Matt Zobrist

The first and most powerful type of coaching is positive feedback. Positive feedback consists of praise, appreciation and acknowledgment, given when performance or behaviors meet or exceed standard. This should be the most common type of coaching a leader engages in.

When Positive Feedback is implemented correctly, it creates positive feelings in people about themselves and what they do. We all have the internal desire to be praised, recognized and appreciated. Tapping into that desire through consistently and correctly providing positive feedback is an amazing way to get top performance from your team members. Here are 5 Keys to correctly providing positive feedback

There Is No Such Thing As Too Much Positive Feedback. First off, you cannot tell people too much or too often that they are doing good and are appreciated. Seriously, people will never tire of hearing that kind of stuff and, as long as you are honest and sincere, they will respond and behave in a way to receive more. Also, never underestimate the power of showing appreciation and praise for just “doing their job.” Yes – you should be thanking and praising team members for their work when it meets standard, not only when it goes above it. Simply put, the more you appreciate and praise your team, the better they will become. For more on that, please seem my article entitled “Praise for Standard Performance? Yes!”

Do Not Delay. Feedback should be provided as close to the performance/behavior as possible. The closer in time to the actual event praise or appreciation is given, the more important the receiver feels, specifically they feel they are valued by the leader/organization and have made an impact. Delaying may allow intervening behaviors/actions to overshadow the good performance. For example, a leader was going to wait a week to recognizing a team member’s superior performance; however, before she could praise that person, he had a pretty public screw up. When she met with the team member, her positive feedback was immediately eclipsed by the corrective action she had to take. Lastly, there is always the risk you will become too busy and forget to provide it at all.

Do It In Person. Too be most effective, positive feedback must be delivered in the richest method possible, where your tone and non-verbal signals will show that you, as the leader, are really, genuinely pleased with the performance. There is no adequate substitute for this interaction! Never, repeat: NEVER use email as the primary delivery method for positive feedback. Regardless of the content of your email, the fact you chose email conveys to the receiver that you don’t really care. Email can be a good follow-up tool AFTER you have provided positive feedback – even allowing documentation for future reference (i.e., for an evaluation, etc.).

Be Clear, Direct and Specific. Don’t let your message get lost in platitudes or “fluffy” language. Simply tell the team member what they did, why it was worthy of recognition, praise, and/or gratitude. The more specific your feedback, the more impactful it will be. For example: “Jackie, I really appreciated the way you made that client feel special when he came in today. Good work.” Or “Jennifer, you did a really good job presenting that information to the team today.” PRO TIP: If your organization has specified core values, try to tie positive feedback to one or more of your core values. Overall, linking individual performance to organizational values has a compounding effect as the team member sees the his or her actions are in alignment with organizational goals and aspirations.

Provide Positive Feedback Fairly. All team members are craving praise and appreciation (most importantly from their leader) and they all deserve it. Do they all perform at the same level? Of course not. But they all do things worthy of praise and appreciation. Remember: fair does not mean equal. It means everyone will get some positive feedback, no exceptions. It does not mean they will each get the same type though. If someone does a truly outstanding job, they should get outstanding praise and recognition; someone who does just a good job should get an appropriate level of praise. This means you need to ensure positive feedback is consistently provided to all team members. No one gets left out. Focusing all your positive feedback on one person, such as top performers only, can create the appearance of favoritism.

PRO TIP: Praise in public, correct in private is still a true precept, however, not everyone enjoys publicity. As much as you may want to share the praise, to encourage others, respect your team member’s desires and get their permission before any public presentations. You still need to provide direct, specific praise to that person, just not in a public forum.

The next article in this series will focus on some obstacles to providing Positive Feedback, and how to overcome them. Corrective Feedback will be discussed in the subsequent articles, and the last article will cover Training.

I am always looking for additional topics to write about. Please feel free to contact me with comments, questions, request a topic, or provide your stories (I love hearing about your situations). I can be reached at matt@discoveraegis.com.

By Matt Zobrist

Coaching is an ongoing dialogue between a leader and team members.  As a leader, the bulk of your leadership interactions with your team should be some form of coaching. It is an ongoing process with the goal to get team members to replicate desirable behaviors and performance, as well as eliminate or reduce negative performance or behaviors. The three main types of coaching covered in this series will be: Positive Feedback, Corrective Feedback and Training.

Coaching has benefits for the individual team member, the leader and ultimately the organization. First, team members want to know how they are doing, and they want to know as soon as possible. Further, they want to know of how they are doing on a regular and consistent basis. They certainly do not want to simply be told once a year – in the dreaded annual evaluation – they are acceptable, average, or “meet standard.” If you are in an organization where “no news is good news” you can be sure the leadership has a coaching (failure) problem.

Team members who are coached regularly are more likely to be engaged and productive at work. They have higher levels of trust in their fellow team members, their leader and the organization. Praise, compliments and gratitude (positive feedback) help build people’s self-esteem and willingness to work hard(er), while increasing their trust in their leader and organization. Likewise, providing immediate correction, without anger or belittlement, helps team members improve their performance and learn to trust you as the leader. Team members need to have enough knowledge, tools and expertise to do their jobs. As leaders provide training to team members, they become more skilled and efficient; this also strengthens trust in the leader as they see he/she wants them to be successful.

A leader benefits from coaching his/her team by their increased engagement and willingness to work. Great coaches can get their team members to supply more effort, above and beyond what they merely get paid for, on a regular basis. More productive, skilled, engaged and efficient employees will provide unparalleled levels of service and quality for the organization.

People will replicate behavior for which they are consistently and quickly rewarded and avoid behaviors for which they are not rewarded, or for which they are punished. This is based on solid behavioral science including B.F. Skinner’s Law of Operant Conditioning, and it works. When a leader consistently coaches, team members respond. I had a team member once who, when he came to my team, had been pretty thoroughly mentally beaten down by a former boss. He had practically resigned himself to mediocrity and just wanted to get through a day without attracting any attention to himself. He did the bare minimums. However, after a few months of consistently complimenting his skills and performance, as well as listening to him and building trust, he began to improve. He dramatically improved over the next few months and I observed a direct correlation with my coaching and his willingness and ability to work hard, including going above and beyond what was required.

Positive Feedback. Corrective Feedback will be discussed in the two articles to follow, and the last article will cover Training.

I am always looking for additional topics to write about. Please feel free to contact me with comments, questions, request a topic, or provide your stories (I love hearing about your situations). I can be reached at matt@discoveraegis.com.

By Matt Zobrist

I am not an astronomer nor an astrophysicist. I like learning about space, technology and am an avid sci-fi buff. So, I was reading about the fact that scientist have recently reclassified SIMP J01365663+0933473 from a Brown Dwarf Star, to a large planet (about 13 times bigger than Jupiter), even though is not orbiting a star. Stunning, right? You may not care, and I don’t blame you. But here is why I tell that brief, but possibly boring story: When I read it I immediately thought to myself, “I should contact Dr. Armstrong to verify this?”

Doctor Armstrong happens to be someone I knew in high school. He is a PhD, astronomer that I reconnected with over social media. I wasn’t his close friend in high school and we haven’t spoken in person or on the phone, well… ever. So, why was he the first person I felt could call to verify the work of a full research team published in the Astrophysical Journal? Why did I think that if I needed to confirm what I read on astronomy.com and scienedaily.com I should contact an acquaintance from high school to verify it?

The simple answer is this: I have a relationship – however weak – with Dr. Armstrong. As humans, we tend to trust people with whom we have relationships. If I had several astrophysicist friends, I would have to decide who I trusted the most to answer my question. Or ask all of them and see if there was consensus. As it stands, I only have one. Even though our relationship is distant and weak, I would ask him rather than Google it.

This works in all areas of our lives. Buying a car? You ask people you know who drive that one already. Kids need diapers? You talk to someone who already went through that. Looking for a dentist or doctor? You check with friends and co-workers. We inherently have higher trust in information from someone we have a relationship than from other sources.

Because people trust those who they have relationships with, it is paramount as a leader to cultivate honest and open relationships with your team members. They will have an easier time trusting you when they know you. Take opportunities to build relationships with other people by talking to them about their families, their hobbies, and their life outside of work. Be interested in them as people and remember what they tell you. Celebrating their birthdays and special occasions will show that you care about them, not just their performance. PRO TIP: write this stuff down! Very few of us have photographic memories, so take notes. After a while, remembering personal things will become easier.

As you take time and effort to connect with people about non-work-related topics your relationships will grow. As your relationships strengthen, their trust in you will increase. Your role and ability to lead will become clearer and more defined, you will be more effective, and your team more productive.

Here’s a simple trust litmus test is this: Do they ask for your opinion instead of using the internet?

By Matt Zobrist

A deliberate responder is someone who has listened and then intentionally decides what, how and when to respond, avoiding the pitfall of reacting without consideration or reflection. Successful leaders are able to control their emotions and measure their responses, earning respect and trust, and significantly decreasing misunderstandings and overreactions.

Here are 4 steps to help you become a deliberate responder:

1. Learn to pause or delay as needed.

Take a moment to yourself prior to responding. This can be a few seconds or a few minutes. This gives you time to: assess if you understood correctly and have all the information; breath and control your temper or emotions; plan a measured, non-sarcastic response. For highly emotional issues, waiting a few hours or a day, may be more appropriate. A good leader is able to recognize when his or her emotions are triggered and will delay responding until he or she has had a chance to calm down and logically consider all the information.

I once had a team member tell me in confidence that he had witnessed another team member do something dangerous, stupid and against policy. I immediately reacted by summoning this team member and asking him why he did such a bone-headed thing. I was upset that he would make such a mistake, and told him the consequences could have a long-term, career-damaging effect. I could sense his growing fear and confusion in his response. Fortunately, we had a sufficiently trusting relationship, that he overcame his fear and I was able to calm down while we spoke. It then became apparent that the first person did not have all the facts and had actually misinterpreted the situation entirely. Not only did I nearly create a permanent impairment in my team member’s career, but I felt like a real jerk for not calming down and finding out what really happened before reacting.

2. Avoid sarcasm or sarcastic remarks.

While jokes are fun with friends, as a general rule, once you become a supervisor, you should avoid making sarcastic comments to your team. The risk that your sarcasm could be misinterpreted outweighs any intent to be perceived as funny or intelligent. In fact, a sarcastic tone can easily be mistaken for a condescending one. I once received some feedback which indicated that I had a sarcasm problem. My immediate thought was “that’s stupid! Whoever said that doesn’t know what sarcasm is!” But, I put on my big-boy pants and proceeded to validate that feedback. Through asking trusted co-workers and my own self-reflection, I realized that I had the tendency to try and make a quick-witted comment or quip every time someone spoke to me, like I was an actor on a sit-com. These comments were so full of sarcasm that it created the feeling among some of my team that I was just trying to belittle them and show my superiority. I realized my sarcastic tone and impulsive responses were alienating my team and preventing serious dialogue from occurring. With a concerted effort to restrain myself, I was able to control myself and began taking a moment to consider my replies and how I delivered them. This increased the trust and dialogue within my team, improving our morale and productivity.

3. Plan your response and practice your tone.

Planning and rehearsing how you will respond to a specific inquiry or comment will help prevent over-reactions. You were once in your team members’ shoes and should be able to anticipate many of their concerns and questions, (both specific/personal and general/organizational). When one of these issues is brought up, pause and consider the appropriate pre-planned response, adapt it to the current inquiry, then deliver it. Remember this is not a memorized speech, it is simply anticipating what conversations may occur, and preparing how to handle them. As you do this, you increase your ability to not emotionally over-react and to provide a confident response with the appropriate tone.

4. Sincerity: Congruence between your verbals and non-verbals.

As with all communication, your tone and non-verbals need to match your verbal message. Having prepared and practiced responses will go along way to helping you keep your non-verbals in alignment with your words. When your verbals and non-verbals are in alignment, the risk of misinterpretations and misunderstandings decreases dramatically. This congruency also demonstrates sincerity in the communication. When your team knows you are sincere in your responses, trust and loyalty are strengthened.
Becoming a deliberate responder by learning to control your emotions, gather sufficient information and make a calm, confident and sincere response, it not easy. It takes daily effort and practice over time. But using these four principles consistently, any leader can improve his or her skills in this area.

I know it is possible because, as you saw in the examples, this was a weakness for me. Through concerted and focused effort, I became very adept at deliberately responding. Not perfect, but I keep practicing daily and get better all the time. If I can do it, I know anyone can.

By Matt Zobrist

A positive work environment is one where team members are happy and engaged with each other and in their work. Positivity at work leads to increased trust, better performance, and improved results. The following are five things any leader, or any person for that matter, can do immediately to generate and improve the positive atmosphere in your workplace. They do not require training; rather they are extremely intuitive, but their value is often overlooked. The true benefit of these practices becomes evident as they are implemented consistently.

Practice gratitude.

One of the easiest ways in which you can increase the positivity of your work environment is through the simple expressions of appreciation. The key to showing gratitude is sincerity. Making others feel appreciated through sincere daily affirmations of gratitude can go a long way to building trust as establishing harmony amongst team members. Being grateful is contagious – next time you tell someone how truly grateful you are for something they did, watch how they will be more willing to reciprocate to others.

Gratitude, however, is not a one-way street. Feeling grateful for things in your own life is very important as well. Personal gratitude is being able to look at yourself and honestly appreciate your skills, abilities, successes as well as your hardships and failures (learning opportunities).

Be Optimistic.

Collin Powell said, “Optimism is a force multiplier.” Optimism is being confidently hopeful about the future. By conveying, through your words and actions, that you totally believe in the immediate and future success of your team, you will foster positive attitudes within you team members. Make daily optimistic statements that you are confident in your team members’ abilities and skills. Always see the glass as half-full. A pessimistic leader is a sure way to stifle positivity in the team.

Smile.

Smiling is a powerful way to increase the positivity of your team. Studies have shown that smiling not only effects those around you, but it impacts you! Ever noticed that when someone smiles at you, you can’t help but smile back? Smiles are infectious because there is an unconscious drive among humans to mirror the facial expressions of those around us. Add to that the physiological effects of smiling in the human brain (releases feel-good neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins), and you can see why smiling can improve happiness in yourself and team. Happy people are more positive. Start each morning by smiling at yourself in the mirror, and make sure your first contact with each team member you wear a smile!

Laugh.

The power of laughter is amazing. It naturally lightens moods and increases our spirits because it releases endorphins, which increase our state of happiness. Laughing, like smiling, is contagious and it makes everyone involved feel better. Laughing decreases stress and physical tension, it is also said to be healthy for your heart and immune system. Comedian and cancer survivor Steve Mazan says: “the true power of laughter is that it allows us to forget, for a brief time, all the things that weigh us down.” That momentary escape gives us an opportunity to “push the reset” button on our attitude. After laughing, we can have a new, more positive perspective to refocus and tackle our objectives with confidence.

Sincerity.

Sincerity is acting without deceit, pretense or hypocrisy. Sincerity is a necessary part of the four preceding points. Sincerity is when your tone and nonverbal signals consistently match your verbal message. Your facial expressions and body language will alert people if you are being sincere. Sincerity is what makes the difference between your spoken “thank you” being perceived as true appreciation or taken as a platitude. Without sincerity, your optimistic statements may be perceived as being cliché, instead of inspiring.
Likely you are doing some of these things already. The key to boosting the positivity in your workplace is to do all of them sincerely and consistently. Starting each day with a smile, being truly appreciative, demonstrating optimism, and taking time to laugh, are all things, increase positivity in your workplace.

Did you catch the subtle head-fake? The more you practice and implement these strategies consistently, YOU will be the most affected! As you act more positive, your own perceptions of your environment will become more positive! You will become happier, more engaged and more productive. Even if no one else does these things, as you consistently do them, you will become a beacon of positivity because the reality of your environment will have become more positive. People who have a positive environment are able to increase productivity, efficiency and engagement.