Where Credit Is Due

  Leadership   ProjectsAtWork  

What’s more common on your projects: a “thumbs up” or finger-pointing? The ability to compliment, sincerely and fairly, is an important but overlooked dimension of leadership. And in pressurized environments, praise can go a lot further than criticism in motivating and energizing teams.

This summer will mark the 10-year anniversary of the collapse of the tech bubble. The ensuing decade has seen ups and downs, but for many in today’s workforce, the pie has shrunk. The sense of opportunity has decreased relative to 2001. It’s made us more fearful, tougher, and more competitive. But it’s also made us meaner.

Why shine a spotlight on someone else’s contributions when your job may be the next to encounter the axe? Why praise team members at the risk of appearing "soft"?

These days, it takes courage to deliver a compliment. But those who go this extra distance will actually gain a competitive edge as project managers.

For those of you concerned that complimenting others will be akin to taking your foot off the gas pedal, take a step back. You’ll see that the system is already pressurized.

Compared to a decade ago, today’s workforce faces a tougher, more challenging reality. With unemployment at its present rate, the balance of power in the labor market is currently in favor of businesses. The use of contract labor has…

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