The not-so-easy task of saying ‘good job’

By Edward Miller

Praising others for good work seems like a risk-free move. It’s not. Your intentions might be pure, but if you’re not careful, you might become the target of resentment and diminished respect.

Consider the dark side of praise:

Praise and power go together. Think of the last time you took the elevator to the top floor, walked down the carpeted hallway to the publisher’s office, and said: “Hey Clyde, I just want to tell you I think you’re doing a great job up here.” It never happens. Odds are good that your own staff doesn’t praise you very much, either. Praise is about power; it flows downhill from the powerful. There’s no law of nature that prevents people from praising the boss, but most don’t feel it’s their “place” to do so. If you try it, the boss’s likely reaction is to wonder, “What’s he trying to accomplish?” When you give praise, you are unconsciously reinforcing a power imbalance. That may not be your motive, but it is almost certainly the effect.

Praise can be threatening. The power to praise is the power to punish; the same boss who praises today might criticize tomorrow, so people learn not to relax. This is especially true for bosses who have adopted the common advice about preparing people for change tomorrow by praising them today.

People are masters of picking up signals of change foreshadowed by false praise.

Praise can be demeaning. How many times have you seen a boss walk by someone, offhandedly say, “Nice job on that story,” and then keep on walking? What does “drive-by praising” reveal about that boss’s sincerity and concern? The perceived message is, “I think it’s time for me to say something nice to you, but I don’t want to waste a lot of time doing it.”

That’s probably not the message you have in mind when you say “nice job.” Praise doesn’t motivate; recognition motivates. Some editors believe they can motivate with kind words. Often they can, but only if those kind words are linked to authentic recognition of performance, and not just empty compliments. Recognition is a powerful motivator, and praise can be its messenger, but be careful. People can distinguish between authentic recognition and manipulative flattery.

Can’t we simply say something nice and be taken at face value? Sure, but it’s that word “value” that should make you pause.

Richard Farson, author of Management of the Absurd, believes “the currency of praise is time.” An editor devalues praise when he casually compliments a story without citing supporting details of what it was in that story.

The editor who takes the time to pass along the “what” and “why” of his opinion builds trust and credibility.

Here are three ways to make it work:

1. Give time and attention. Show that you’ve studied someone’s work before you praise it. You don’t have to spend a lot of time, but you have to establish that you have committed a valuable resource-your own time and attention-to the act of recognition.
2. Tell others. Although it is no substitute for telling someone directly, praising people to their colleagues sends positive signals to several people at once.
3. Ask someone to teach. Asking someone to share his skill by teaching others may be the most effective praise of all. It confirms your respect for her competence and your trust in her influence on others.

Praise should be a gift, but like the perfect gift, it needs to be carefully selected, conscientiously prepared, and appropriately wrapped and delivered.

Miller is an affiliate of the Poynter Institute and a newsroom coach. He can be reached at miller@