What could be worse? You intend to boost morale and the words you use diminish the praise. Here’s how to do it right.
The spotlight should stay on agents when praise is dolled out, says communication expert Jill Geisler. Avoid these missteps, and agents will be motivated.
- “I told you it would work.” That’s stealing credit for what the person accomplished and takes control from them. Instead, you want to help agents focus on what they did – and can continue to do – to achieve great things. Try: “This is great! Tell me how you managed to do it.”
- “You’re a really smart cookie.” It’s condescending, even offensive. Words that are heard in bars or high schools – dude, girlfriend, dawg – should stay there. Treat agents like the professionals they are at all times. Try: “Your work ethic helped you meet this goal. I’m proud of you, and you should be, too.”
- “That was great work, but you should have …” Come on! Let agents bask in the glory of doing well for some time. The word “but” negates everything before it. They’ll only remember the negative. Try: “You did a great job at … I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
