If you compliment others, you can either motivate them to deliver more, or alternatively produce cynicism and distrust.
Let me give you an example of how compliments can motivate people. Fortunately I’m mostly self-driven. I’d have to be …. I’ve freelanced for the last 25 years. (Otherwise I’d never been able to feed myself!) But with my passion for writing this newsletter, it goes out to this big void and sometimes I wonder if it is worthwhile.
Then last week I got the best type of compliment from a well-established Non Executive Director that I met for the first time.
She told me that she’d read Turbocharge Weekly and thought it would be useful to the CEOs of her portfolio of companies. So she forwarded it to each them.
How do you think it made me feel?
- Validated – that my advice is deemed useful by someone highly successful.
- Appreciated – warm and fuzzy.
- Grateful – she had done something that helps me.
- Motivated – I feel encouraged to deliver more quality insights for my readers.
How is it relevant to your strategic projects?
We all want to find ways to influence others. To say yes to a proposal, to make a decision we recommend, to execute the strategies we want.
Complimenting others is a simple and wonderful way to motivate people.
If it’s done right.
Else it can produce cynicism, or at best a neutral impact. My 3 tips are below on how to do this right.
3 tips on how compliments can motivate
- Be authentic– fake compliments destroy your credibility.
- Be specific– show exactly what it is that you value. Saying “great work” is generic. Saying “your XYZ report convinced the board” is more specific and therefore more credible.
- Do something concrete to demonstrate your appreciationthat benefits the person you’re complimenting.
This Board Director was authentic, specific and concrete in her compliment. By telling me she had forwarded my email to her CEOs, I am getting the clearest feedback possible that I’m hitting the mark in my work. And happily she isn’t the first Board Director that has told me this 😉
Compliments are a wonderful way to motivate your team, peers, boss, and stakeholders to deliver what you want. Particularly useful for influencing your strategic projects to move forward. You need to get others on side in order to deliver your strategies.
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Quote of the week
“Getting buy-in is a journey, not a one time event.”
Megan Cook, Head of Product at Atlassian
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____________ Keep turbocharging with a culture-friendly approach 😊🌱📈 |
PS Turbocharge your strategic influence 😊🌱📈
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About Lisa Carlin
Lisa Carlin is a Strategy Execution Specialist. She works with business leaders to plan and execute their strategies in tough environments. Her clients love having her expertise and guidance to navigate their workplace culture and use AI to achieve success.
Lisa created The Turbochargers Hub, so leaders can master the art of strategic influence and generate momentum for organizational change.
Lisa is author of the globally acclaimed newsletter, Turbocharge Weekly, read by 8,000 business leaders.
Lisa’s career includes roles at McKinsey and Accenture, then running her own business since 1999. Over this time she has delivered over 50 implementations with a 96% success rate.