Ricardo Semler, of the massive Brazilian company Semco, gave a TED Talk last October about what it’s like to run a company with radical openness, and nearly non-existant rules and structure.
Much of this is not that far from what we do at Automattic, and is definitely an interesting watch:
I seem to run into managers far too often who are quick to critique, but slow to praise. Meaningful, authentic positive re-enforcement is one of the most important things to have as a part of your company culture.
From a Sandglaz article from last fall:
What better pick-me-up is there than praise for your hard work? Praise can turn a bad day around. It can remind you that although you’re stressed and buried in piles of work, you’re doing a good job. That’s why team members, regardless of their positions, shouldn’t hesitate to praise each other.
Praise and positive feedback go hand in hand. They’re timely, specific comments about something a team member did well. Unlike feedback, praise doesn’t have to be constructive. It can simply be used as a motivational tool to boost performance. Praise is also based on personal judgement, whereas feedback should be factual and issue-focused.
These aspects of praise are well known. But here are some interesting, scientifically-backed tips on how to properly praise your teammates.
- Avoid the sandwich approach
- Praise teammates while they’re working toward a goal, not after they’ve achieved it
- Tailor praise to the teammate’s personality and experience level
Read the whole article:
http://blog.sandglaz.com/properly-praise-team-members/
These things require a culture of complete acquiescence and intimidation, led by a strong dictatorial individual who wants it that way.
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The danger with the totalitarian management style is that people won’t speak up when there’s a problem. They’ll get their heads cut off or the messenger gets shot.
From the project leader on the Aztek:
We’ve all made up our minds that the Aztek is gonna be a winner. It’s gonna astound the world. I don’t want any negative comments about this vehicle. None. Anybody who has bad opinions about it, I want them off the team.
Teams need to be a safe place for people to have opinions, and good leaders need to be able to hear those opinions and evaluate them without ego or hubris getting in the way.
