MARCH 05

Don’t let your praise get too sketchy.

DETAILS MATTER

The next time your young child, grandchild or niece brings home a Rorschach painting from school, try an experiment. Instead of patting her on the head and saying, “Aren’t you just the best little artist,” try talking to your child about the specifics of the painting.

“Why did you use red here?” “What have you drawn here?” “What action is going on in this area?”

And then, when you praise the child and hang the painting on the refrigerator, use specifics, such as “I love how your flowers are turning toward the sun; that’s very observant,” or “You know, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen scarier blue alien bugs.” We guarantee that your little one will light up to such specific praise and remember it for a much longer time.

Of course, these principles apply at work. Be specific about your employees’ achievements and they will be thrilled.