It’s a leadership wonder drug of 5 simple words that can make a huge difference in the workplace.

A real shot of motivation and inspiration that, if delivered at the right time and place, can spur your team to the pinnacle of success.

But if it’s overused, or delivered incorrectly, its potency can be radically reduced – or it could cause awful side effects.

What is it?

“You did a great job”

Giving praise to teammates is one of the critical elements of effective leadership. This kind of positive reinforcement brings a psychological boost that leads to greater and greater achievement, because it plays to basic human needs of acceptance and recognition.

These 5 words can mean more than any bonus, raise, or promotion – but the deliverer must be careful, and like any wonder drug, the directions for use need to be followed to the letter.

Let’s outline the clear directions and dosage for the maximum effectiveness  of “you did a great job“:

• It should only be used to praise performance which exceeds an established “norm”.
• Those norms should be carefully calibrated and modified as the team is built and executes its duties & responsibilities.
• It needs to be used as close to the completion of said performance as possible.
• It should be delivered personally – face to face is best, followed by a telephone call, or a handwritten letter. E-mail and text should only be used if that’s the only option available to meet the timing requirement noted above.
• It needs to be delivered with high enthusiasm and a positive tone.

And what about the side effects and risks?

• If used to praise “normal” performance,  it could cause a case of lowered expectations, which would spread, virus-like, among the team.
• If used too often, it would lead to an overdose or an addiction, which could cause a loss of leader credibility.
• If norms are not calibrated properly, the team could suffer from a bad case of inertia.
• If its application is delayed, it significantly lessens its effectiveness.
• If not delivered personally, or worse yet, carelessly or too casually, it could cause the exact opposite effect, and act as a disincentive.

Indeed, there’s a lot more to these 5-words than meets the eye.  Praise is good, and yes, there’s probably not enough of it going on in a lot of workplaces. But it certainly shouldn’t be thrown around like candy either.

It also needs to be counterbalanced by effectively dealing with those who are under-performing against those same norms – the other side of what I call the management spectrum.

So, if you are looking for that difference maker in your workplace, take Dr. Starbucker’s advice and get a prescription for the wonder drug “You did a great job” – but be sure to read all the fine print in the directions before you start using it.

Lead well!