Good Job
Posted by Fred Jandt
Editor, Mass Transit
One thing I like to do is give praise to everyone I work with and, to paraphrase Al Capone, I like to give it early and give it often. Sure, we all work with lunkheads who make our days just a little more frustrating than they should be, but for every gripe you may have about a coworker, you should have an equal praise for a different one.
Recently a person I worked with for a few years left the company for a better opportunity. When I heard, I emailed her and bid my farewells. I was surprised to receive a thank you in response for being the only person who ever told her that she “kicks ass” at her job.
How do you praise your employees? I have spent time with some of the best agency heads in the transportation industry and there is a common thread with almost all of them — when they walk through their system, all of their employees wish them well. And each of them in turn stop and talk to those same employees.
Sure you can be a visionary when it comes to transit planning, but if you can’t rally the troops, it will be all for naught. The best transit officials aren’t just liked by their employees, they are loved.
This brings me to the latest great example of an agency giving praise. At the recent APTA Bus & Paratransit Conference the host agency, Capital Metro, was handing out “Good Job!” cards. Basically, if a conference-goer saw a Capital Metro employee providing excellent service, they were to sign the card and give it to that employee. At the end of the conference, the agency would tally which employees received the most “Good Job!” cards and reward them accordingly.
That is an awesome idea! Not only does the employee get the immediate recognition of doing a great job, they also get the added reward for doing a really great job.
So what I am saying is if you get a chance to give someone praise, don’t just pat them on the back with an “attaboy.” Make sure that they remember it. They will not only appreciate it, but that memory lingers and it makes people want to work harder to get new ones.
Thanks for reading the MT Position updated every Friday,
May 19th, 2008 at 9:03 am
The lack of positive reinforcement for good or exemplary work is one of the main disappointments at my not-gonna-be-named-here office. The only positive reinforcement comes from co-workers, who recognize that you have accomplished something noteworthy. There are annual nominations for people who do a great job, but those depend on those co-workers to do that nominating. It NEVER comes from top down.