Compensation - Let Them Hear It Again
This is just a short reminder of the power of praise.
In January 2020, Neil Peart passed away. If you know who he is, you KNOW who he is. If you don’t know who he is, his legend may be hard to explain (but I will try.) Mr. Peart was an artist. He was also a beast. He was their drummer and lyricist for the band Rush. He is an icon to drummers because his skill and talent combined to make him one of the best drummers of all time. We knew this. He knew this. And that is the origin of this post during troubled times.
After his passing, people shared his music and old interviews. There were also a couple of pieces written by Neil himself (and author of six non-fiction books). One, in particular, caught my eye. “Marching To The Beat Of A Different Drum”. In this self-written piece, Neil discussed a single drum solo that took him a career to create. The following quote resonated with me.
“Yet as I developed that solo through months of rehearsals and even into the tour, I was a little perplexed that I never received any feedback, from band-mates or crew members. Sometimes people seem to take the attitude, “Aw, he already knows he’s good. He doesn’t need to hear it again.”
But we do, don’t we?
Especially when we’re pushing ourselves way out on a limb like that.”
This is just a simple reminder of the power of praise and the need to communicate, recommunicate and overcommunicate.
Everywhere out there people are working in ways they have never worked before. They should all be congratulated. People are navigating challenges that they have never seen before. They should all be congratulated. There are also people out there who have always been doing outstanding work. Often these individuals know they are among the top of their peers. Right now is an important time to recognize their efforts and abilities.
Start with words and support them with compensation. Many companies are faced with austerity measures right now. Do not let those measures stop you from doing something special for the most special at your company. If an individual has been amazing in the past and currently continues to be amazing, you can probably assume they will be amazing for the foreseeable future.
We have someone where we may be thinking, “Aw, he already knows he’s good. He doesn’t need to hear it again.” But they do. They really do.
Link to Neil Peart’s article http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/20150910louder.htm
Dan Walter is a CECP, CEP, and Fellow of Global Equity (FGE). He works as Managing Consultant for FutureSense and has three metaphors for every occasion. Dan is also a leading expert on incentive plans and equity compensation issues. He has written several industry resources including the only resource dedicated to Performance-Based Equity Compensation. He has co-authored ”Everything You Do In Compensation is Communication”, , “Equity Alternatives” and other books. Connect with Dan on LinkedIn. Or, follow him on Twitter at @DanFutureSense.