Lean Quote: Encouraging Those to Succeed

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Curious that we spend more time congratulating people who have succeeded than encouraging people who have not." — Neil deGrasse Tyson

Congratulating employees is a simple, effective way to acknowledge them and boost their morale, as well as their colleagues. Leaders know that in order to be successful, they must influence employees to deliver positive performance. They succeed in this area because they do things to inspire higher levels of commitment and cooperation from employees. They don't just assume that because they are leading, employees will follow.

Here are some ways to encourage your employees to get moving in the right direction:

Show genuine interest. I believe this is by far the most effective way of encouraging others. Let them know you care. Express genuine interest by asking questions. Get them talking. With some hope and luck, this can lead to positive action. But don’t be fake about it and don’t go overboard.

Acknowledge what’s important to them. When you acknowledge what’s important to others, you provide a form of affirmation and validation about who they are and what they’re doing. Whether they can admit it or not, each of them deep down craves this acknowledgement. The affirmation and validation fuels their confidence and self-esteem.

Offer to lend a hand. Waiting for someone to ask you for advice is passive. You can be proactive by offering to lend a hand. If that person sees that you are willing to commit your own time and energy in their interests, they will be more committed to seeing it through and less likely to give up themselves.

Say “Well done”. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. If it’s easy, then it’s not worth doing. Worthwhile things always takes time and effort. One good way of providing encouragement is simply by saying “Well done” or “Congratulations”. These magical words of encouragement at the right time can make all the difference between “keep going” and “give up”.

Giving encouragement can boost that person’s motivation, which in turn lead to actions and finally results. Managers need to keep in mind that feelings are contagious. By positively encouraging, a leader makes others want to be part of the change. Only satisfied employees lead to satisfied customers.