Yesterday, I saw B.F. Skinner’s Reinforcement Theory in action. I was sitting in our agile team room with about half of our team members. One person commented on another’s good posture. The complimentee smiled and said, “Thanks for noticing. I’ve been working on it.” The interaction was very nice and I observed its positive effect on both the giver and the receiver of the feedback.

What was just as encouraging was what happened in the rest of the room. I saw three other people adjust their posture and I too sat up straighter. That comment, however brief, had a positive effect on the entire room even though the compliment was only given to one person.

There is tons of academic research on the great benefits of positive reinforcement, but I had never read much about its effect on bystanders. So, I spent some time on Google. It was certainly not an exhaustive search but a cool article popped up from psychcentral.com. “The new study found rewards were strongly associated with compliance and cooperation. As such, this approach could help in developing solutions for problems requiring the cooperation of large numbers of people to achieve a greater good.” I think this has huge implications for how we interact with each other. So, I encourage you to sit up straight and point out something one of your colleagues is doing well and see if it benefits you’re entire team. 

How do you get restful, guilt-free slumber the night before, the night after deed is done, or in the nights to come?  It's simple - do everything in your power to change the situation and be sure the employee can't or won't meet the job requirements.

When you're firing someone for something egregious, like defrauding your customers or stealing, it's easy.  The employee got their hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar and they know it is warranted.  

When you're furloughing someone or laying them off, it's heart-wrenching no doubt, but you're not telling them they did a lousy job.  You're telling them the company did a lousy job and cannot support them anymore.

But, if you're letting someone go for performance and haven't done your job, you're telling them you're firing them because you're lousy.  That can lead to serious consequences for you and your organization.

So, what's in your power?*

1. Set clear expectations up front
   
2. Correct the behavior/mistake the first time it happens; ask if s/he is clear about the expectations; ask what you can do to help; jot down the conversation for posterity 
   
3. Correct the behavior/mistake the second time it happens and then discuss consequences; ask what you can do to help; document the conversation for posterity; if appropriate inform your manager and/or HR
   
4. Correct the behavior/mistake the third time; invoke the consequence (perhaps this is the point of termination - perhaps you need to give them one more strike)
5. And so on...

Next time someone on your team is a consistent performance problem and there's only one solution, do all in your power to change the situation and then sleep well!

* I am NOT advocating progressive discipline here!  Depending on how serious the infraction, this checklist may need to be modified.  Seek legal council before you terminate someone.  

I was riding in the car with other day with a colleague of mine after we had just enjoyed a very productive lunch.  He turned to me and said, “Libby, you have a bit of food in your teeth.”  And, sure enough when I pulled down the mirror, I had a piece of lettuce stuck in an unattractive spot.  After lunch I had a meeting with clients, so I really appreciated him saying something.  As we laughed about it, I thought about the fact that many people, even some of my friends, would not have told me.

That evening as I was driving in the car I thought about the stuck salad.  What made that important conversation work?  It was timely feedback, certainly. But why wasn’t I embarrassed?  If the client had told me, I would have been mortified.  A mistake, I hadn’t checked myself in the mirror before attending.  A vulnerability, I’m not as I’m trying to present myself to be.  Or worse, it was an incompetence that I might not have overcome in their eyes.  But, thankfully it was my colleague, whom I trust to have my best interest at heart. 

For me, trust is one of the keys to receiving the feedback in the best possible way (to change my behavior or fix a mistake).  I think for most people this is true.  Really feeling that the person cares about you.  That he/she is not trying to “catch you” or “one up you,” but has good intentions and really wants to help you succeed.

888723 – that was my patient number at a hospital in Houston, Texas.  It’s used for everything (e.g., checking into the hotel) and I had to memorize it quickly.  What I found most interesting is that the experience was counter to what you’d expect of an organization that uses numbers to identify people.   

I remember my master’s student identification number.  It too was used for many purposes.  Specifically I remember it being called for an appointment with my guidance counselor.  It was the most impersonal experience.  While going over my classes and credit hours evaluated against the requirement for my degree, I don’t believe she ever even looked me in the eye.  

In the Houston hospital system and those supporting businesses, the number is used for identification only and I suspect to tell the person on the other side of the desk a little about my situation.  Never once did I feel that I was only a number to anyone.  The people I came in contact with were all very nice, smiled and were genuinely concerned about helping me.

Another experience I’ve compared with the Houston hospital was a hospital in my own back yard.  In preparation for my visit to the Richmond hospital, I received a form letter with handwriting filling in the blanks, a map of the parking area and instructions for registration.  It got the job done.  In contrast, the Houston hospital had a packet waiting for me at the hotel; it included all the pertinent information customized for me, and a pamphlet for every service available to me (e.g., an honor system library and DVD collection). 

Everyone at the Richmond hospital was nice enough, although no one went out of their way to make my experience more pleasant.  There was absolutely nothing remarkable about the entire visit.  The distinction the Houston hospital makes is in everything they do, from the facilities, the process and the people.  My patient coordinator welcomed me, answered my questions, led me to the appropriate elevators, gave me a hug and wished me good health!

There was nothing wrong with my experience at the university or my hospital experience in Richmond.  But Houston just did everything right.  

As I pondered the reason for this remarkable differentiation, I looked at the services they offered, no major discrepancies there.  Then I looked for disparity between the cost of services as sometimes that is a contributing factor.  However, being the same negotiated rates by insurance companies, there were none.  Finally, I looked for the difference in potential talent.  Both cities have great teaching hospitals, so no lack of talent. 

So what was it that made me travel all the way to Houston?  It was the experience.  This is just another example that validates for me that having the right vision and the right people are essential for success.