Praise is the best motivator

Here are some ways to improve your praise-to-criticism ratio:

1. Make a conscious decision to work with positive people at least 50 to 80 percent of the time. I remember asking a very successful advisor, when he reached age 65, “What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your 40-year career?” His reply? “I don’t have to deal with people I don’t like.” My advice: Don’t wait until you’re 65 to make this decision for yourself.
2. Make a conscious decision to accentuate the positive, both in terms of what you focus on personally and how you react with others. When you experience the beneficial results from maintaining a high praise-to-criticism ratio, you’ll find your efforts to be very worthwhile.

When dealing with your team, remember that words can hurt—as well as lead to a lower overall performance.

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Nick Ray is a business coach who specializes in working with financial services professionals. He is the author of There’s More to Selling than Making the Sale as well as a workbook on target marketing. He can be reached at [email protected].