The Business Coaching Toolkit

CHAPTER FIVE

The Power of Positive Praise

Pull out a pen and paper and take this quick quiz:

1. The U.S. Department of Labor recently reported that the number one reason people leave an organization is:

a. The pay is not good enough.

b. Someone else got a promotion and not them.

c. They don’t feel appreciated.

d. They want better benefits.

2. According to a recent Gallup Poll, what percentage of the American workforce received no praise or recognition in the last year?

a. 25 percent

b. 45 percent

c. 65 percent

d. 85 percent

3. According to the Gallup Corporation’s research of five million employees worldwide, the frequency of praise and recognition in the workplace should be no less than:

a. One time per day

b. One time per week

c. One time per month

d. One time per quarter

4. Researchers have determined for healthy relationships the perfect ratio of positive comments to negative comments is:

a. 1 to 1

b. 3 to 1

c. 5 to 1

d. 10 to 1

5. Cigarette smoking has been shown to decrease life expectancy by 5.5 years, but a 2000 Mayo Clinic study showed that positive emotion can increase life expectancy by:

a. 4 years

b. 6 years

c. 8 years

d. 10 years

To see how you did on this quiz, turn to the end of the chapter for the answers.

A BUSINESS CASE FOR POSITIVE PRAISE

Well, how did you do on the quiz?

The leading reason, by an overwhelming margin, people leave organizations has nothing to do with pay, benefits, or promotion. The leading reason is they do not feel appreciated. This is because 65 percent of the ...