TEI 298: How product managers can use appreciation to improve product teams – with Dr. Paul White Product Mastery Now for Product Managers, Leaders, and Innovators

The five languages of appreciation for product managers

Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, speaker, and leadership trainer who “makes work relationships work.” For the past 20 years, he’s improved numerous businesses, schools, government agencies, and non-profit organizations by helping them: 



* Create positive workplace relationships and improve staff morale. 

* Eliminate the cynicism, sarcasm, and lack of trust that often are associated with traditional employee recognition programs. 

* Overcome the obstacles to help staff communicate authentic appreciation to one another. 



Summary of some concepts discussed for product managers

[5:03] You recently wrote The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. What is appreciation and why is it important?

Appreciation is feeling valued for what you do or who you are. Stephen Covey said that appreciation is the highest need beyond physical survival. As opposed to employee recognition, which motivates toward specific goals, appreciation helps people feel valued for who they are.

[6:37] What are the benefits of appreciating our colleagues?

Appreciation does much more than just make people feel good. We have over fifty citations of research that shows the return-on-investment of appreciation. When team members feel valued, absenteeism and staff turnover go down and productivity and profitability go up. Appreciation is the oil in the machine that helps things running smoothly with less friction and less sparks.

Let’s talk about the five languages of appreciation.

[10:39] #1 Words of Affirmation (preferred by 46% of employees)

When using words that affirm a person’s value, be specific. Don’t just say “good job.”



* Use the person’s name.

* Specify what they’ve done that you value.

* Tell why their action is important to you.



[11:56] #2 Quality Time (preferred by 26% of employees)

Quality time doesn’t have to take long. Just a few minutes can mean a lot. Quality time can take two forms…



* Focused attention—some people like to meet one-on-one to share and listen. It’s important you are not distracted.

* Peer interactions—others people, especially younger employees, prefer time with several colleagues, e.g., going to lunch together.



[13:02] #3 Acts of Service (preferred by 22% of employees)

Acts of service isn’t rescuing a low-performing colleague. Instead, consider serving a colleague working on a time-limited project. For example…



* Doing some work they delegate.

* Running interference with their email or phone calls.

* Bringing in meals so they can keep working.



[14:00] #4 Tangible Gifts (preferred by 6% of employees)

Tangible gifts does not mean raises and bonuses. It’s small things that show you’re getting to know your team members. For example…



* Their favorite cup of coffee.

* A gift card, especially for something you know they enjoy.

* Magazines related to their hobby.

* Pair tangible gifts with another appreciation language to make it more impactful.



[16:06] #5 Physical Touch (preferred by 1% of employees)

We struggled with whether to keep this in, but we did because…



* We don’t want to advocate a touchless society. Appropriate physical touch can be meaningful in an appropriate setting.

* Physical touch does happen in the workplace, usually as spontaneous celebration such as a high-five.



[18:15] How can we identify which language of appreciation someone prefers?

You can ask someone how you can show them appreciation, although that can be an awkward conversation, and you may not learn much. It works better to ask people how they are encouraged since this is similar to appreciatio...