A word of praise works wonders

A friend was complaining to me about the many troubles in her workplace. She finished by saying, "I could put up with all this other stuff if my boss would only once in a while let me know he appreciates my hard work!"

Don't be one of those managers who comment only when they have a complaint about a worker, and never give a word of thanks for a job well done. It sounds so obvious, and we read this advice everywhere, but it seems too many managers haven't got the message yet.

Try thanking your people often, whether for some special effort they made to get a project finished on time, or just for generally doing a good job for the company. It needn't be flashy, but just a thank-you and a smile. Try it - you'll be amazed at what a difference it makes in everyone's attitude, work habits and the environment around you.