Why are managers and supervisors so stingy with praise?
Ken Blanchard has a favorite question he likes to ask audiences whenever he is teaching about the power of recognition. He asks, “How many of you receive too much praise at work?” It’s a bit of a trick question because Ken knows after asking hundreds of audiences, that very few people ever raise their hands. In fact, most people go on to say that the only time they ever get feedback from their manager is when they do something wrong. For these people, the best they can hope for is, “no news is good news.”
Why are managers and supervisors so stingy with their recognition? Especially when we all know how important it is to be appreciated.