Currency that Costs Nothing: Encouragement

This is part 3 of 3 about valuable currency.  This currency costs almost nothing to spend, is easy to give, and means a great deal to the recipient.    Part 1 was the currency of Kindness.  Part 2, Acknowledgement.  Part 3, Encouragement.  

Encouragement is defined as "the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope."  

When I look back on my life, many significant moments happened when others offered me encouragement. My blog-reading friends, I bet if you think about it, you can say the same thing. The gift of encouragement helps a person move toward optimism and hope.

Let's talk about encouragement as it relates to work.  If you are a business owner or manager, you are in a powerful position, and your time and encouragement is especially valuable.  People are looking to you for guidance, and compliments or encouraging words mean a great deal.

Here are three encouragement tips.  With each tip, I'll use the same example of a customer service rep who is dealing with an upset customer:

1.  Be specific.  Limit the generic "you can do it" stuff.  For example:  Say to a customer service rep, "I saw how you dealt with that upset customer, and I thought you handled it well.  That's good work."

2.  Be timely.  When possible, offer the encouragement as soon as you see the opportunity.  That customer service rep needs the encouragement right when it is happening.  

3.  Acknowledge reality.  Encouragement isn't cheerleading.  It can be, but that's only a small part of it.  Many times, encouragement is most effective when you meet people where they are in a stressful time.  In our example, you may say something like this to the customer service rep:  "I know that's a stressful situation, and it might be a situation you can't totally fix.  But the way you dealt with it builds integrity for you and the company."

Encouragement doesn’t just happen by accident.  It takes two things:   Deliberate effort and Sincerity.  You can't fake it.  You've got to mean it.  And it doesn't "just happen".  You have to be deliberate about it. 

One final note about the currencies of kindness, acknowledgement, and encouragement.  In my writing about them as they relate to work, I worry that some folks might think I'm only promoting them as currency of business.  Not at all.  They are components of a good life.  If you share them generously, everything will be better for everyone involved.