Do you know a parent who is always criticizing his child, yet complains of not having a good relationship with that child? Or a boss who nitpicks her employees and wonders why productivity is so low? It is one of my fears that I would become that parent or that boss and it is this fear that led me to read “Whale Done” by Ken Blanchard one lazy summer afternoon. The title refers to the positive-reinforcement method used to train Sea World’s killer whales, known for their  acrobatic leaps and bounds.

Blanchard contrasts the “Whale Done” approach with what he calls the traditional “GOTcha” approach used by many managers. Under “GOTcha,” managers’ primary focus is catching their employees doing something wrong. Under the “Whale Done” approach, managers focus on praising employees for work that was well done and redirecting negative behavior in an attempt to change the environment of the workplace. By redirecting, the poor behavior is ignored and the employee’s energy is redirected onto another task that can set up a positive response. It is important to note that the praise must be genuine because your employees can tell when you are being insincere. A manager who recognizes his/her employees’ efforts, builds trust, accentuates the positive, and redirects when need be helps eliminate negative interactions and poor performance.

Based on the simple fact that when people feel good about themselves they produce better results, the “Whale Done” approach allows you to change your environment by first changing your communication toward your employees. As you change to a praise-oriented management approach, your employees will change in response, resulting in a cascading effect. So ask yourself, “What type of environment do I want to create around myself; one centered on criticism or praise?” While it is easy to wish for change in your workplace, it is important to recognize that change must start somewhere, and what better place than to start than with yourself? For more information on this change in communication, visit Blanchard’s website at http://www.kenblanchard.com/.