Do's and don'ts for employee motivation: Recognition matters

When was the last time you complimented someone on your team? Was it last week, last month, last year -- or can you even remember? Hopefully, it was recently because team members thrive in an atmosphere where their efforts are recognized and appreciated.

Spotlight achievement in morning meetings. Make recognition a regular part of your daily meetings. Thank employees for handling an irate patient, pitching in when a team member was out sick, staying late to help with an emergency patient, etc. When you appreciate your staff members, they appreciate working for you.

Don't horde compliments. You don't have to wait for a meeting or a special occasion to praise a team member. If you see employees putting doing excellent work, let them know that day. Saying something like "Nice job!" or "I appreciate what you did there" goes a long way to building morale. And you just make somebody's day, too!

Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the founder and CEO of Levin Group, the leading dental practice consulting firm in North America. For the complete list of dates and locations where you can attend his latest seminar, visit www.levingroup.com/gpseminars.

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