Do you have any idea what is important about the Blarney Stone? Well according to Wikipedia, the Blarney Stone is a block of Carboniferous limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about 5 miles from Cork, Ireland. According to the legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery).
If you have ever been told you have the “gift of gab”, it is unlikely that you kissed the Blarney Stone, however, suffice to say it is a gift either way. The reason the “gift of gab” or skill at flattery could come in handy, is because in the workplace, where less verbal communication is observed and being replaced with texts and emails, the art of conversation and flattery, are both on the wane.
There is a common theme that positive recognition of one’s employees is a sure way to build morale. Some managers rarely compliment or provide positive feedback, unless it is during the annual review period and they learned that the “sandwich method” is a great way to give feedback. The sandwich feedback method consists of praise followed by corrective feedback followed by more praise. In other words, the sandwich feedback method involves discussing corrective feedback that is “sandwiched” between two layers of praise.
Providing positive feedback to employees on a more regular basis, when you observe good work being performed or a difficult situation handled well, will go a long way to building morale. Delivering praise in an eloquent manner is a skill that can be learned. When was the last time you as a manager or employee gave or received such feedback? Let’s encourage each other to first, notice the good things our employees are doing to help our organizations be successful and second, mention it to our employees. Organizational morale will be sustained just by saying “thank you”, writing a note of appreciation, or even smiling more.
We may be a little too far from Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone, however, we can take away the positive message of doing so. May the luck of the Irish be with you!