Peggy Noonan stated, “What you applaud, you encourage. Be careful what you celebrate.”
This is a good reminder to leaders because, so often, we are in a hurry to get on with the next task and we forget that our influence reaches beyond the directives we give and the tasks we help to accomplish. Many times, we influence others through the formal and informal ways in which we acknowledge the work of the people we lead. We could easily list many ways that we directly send the message that certain behaviors are unacceptable, but it’s the subtle, indirect messages that are wrapped in praise which can sometimes lead people in the wrong direction. As Noonan pointed out, we need to be aware of the things we applaud, because sometimes the applause isn’t for the right things.
An example is when someone is putting in a great amount of overtime and getting terrific results. We publically affirm that they are a rising star for the organization and deserving of being rewarded. The message sent is that consistently going above and beyond is the way to succeed. Now, I typically would agree that this is the kind of effort I want from everyone on my team, however, what if the message gets misconstrued by overly ambitious team members who end up with a work-life balance that is unhealthy? What if their desire to be applauded causes them to neglect the things of life which are more important than getting ahead at work?
Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a hard worker. I have always been willing to do more than what was expected of me. But, I also know that I can easily fall into the trap of a life out of balance. As a leader, I know that there are others who also suffer from this tendency to put work above all else, so, I must be careful to not only applaud hard work, but also celebrate when someone makes good life choices that take care of health, family, and caring for the people around them. I want results, but, I want healthy people more. Whether it is at work with our team or at home with our family, we must be the kind of leader that applauds the right things, because we’re going get more of what we celebrate.
Lead well.