Compliments Matter

June 29, 2021 The Editorial Board - Teamware Solutions

Image courtesy- timeanddate.com

When done well, a compliment is one of the most powerful ways to let someone know that we value and appreciate them. Yet, these seemingly positive experiences can be surprisingly tricky to go through for both giver and receiver alike.

The process of giving and receiving compliments often brings up a lot of anxiety for everyone involved. Givers express worries of being seen as a partial, having their compliment misinterpreted, or triggering jealousy in others. On the receiving end, people feel they don’t deserve it, question the giver’s intentions, or may worry that they won’t be able to produce the same result in the future.

Accepting a compliment:

When someone is complimenting you, they are actually sharing how what you did impacted them. It does not matter if you agree or disagree with what they are saying, just relate to it as a gift and accept it.

If your manager compliments you for another person’s work, redirect the compliment to the correct person

If you are the team leader, note the person may be recognizing you for your role in leading your people, so be sure to first take the compliment, and then acknowledge the efforts of your team.

Please remember that our habitual responses to compliments have been developed throughout our lives and, as with any habit, it will take effort and practice to change.

Giving a compliment:

When we give compliment to some team member/colleague please ensure the following:

Be Genuine:

Please provide compliment to team member/colleague only if that person genuinely created an impact in your work environment and do not pass any feedback/comments for the heck of it. Never compliment out of compulsion is the golden rule that you must keep in mind!

Be Specific:

Any compliment cannot be vague and needs to be specific on why we want to provide our recognition to someone. In other words you want to share it in a way that does not leave the person with any questions on “Why” they are being complimented for.

Share Impact:

Always ensure that the compliment does not stop with some nice words but rather provides information on how that person impacted the team or your work environment or project with his/her contributions.

Over time, addressing these areas will become second nature as you begin to master the art of giving and receiving powerful compliments. You can begin to practice immediately. Happy Complimenting!