As a leader, you’re trained to identify shortcomings and correct them. It’s a leadership style that singles out deficiencies and, unfortunately, often fails to embolden the behaviors that ought to be encouraged.

Employees do their best work when they’re confident, so like a good parent, it’s imperative to accentuate the positive and reinforce it constantly. Put another way:


And when you do, provide feedback as quickly as possible. The closer the feedback is to the behavior, the stronger the message. Tell us — has this been true for you, as a leader or as someone being led? What was its effect?