The cafe is a high pressure environment and as we go about our work, the hunt for incongruities, mistakes that need correction, and opportunities to coach and guide people are usually at the top of our minds. The opportunities for affirmation abound, but are buried amidst the meetings, texts, and emails all designed to offer correction.
Appropriately enough, when we think of ways to get results, we don’t seem to have a very high opinion of positive reinforcement even though people often respond far more to meaningful affirmation in the workplace.
If you want to create a different culture in your business I have highlighted 4 steps you can take to make it a reality. Please also refer to the links to related podcast episodes below for more thoughts on affirmation.
1. Be present where the work is done
I am always surprised at how little some owners make it to the floor to take in what is actually happening. After all, what happens in the shop is the most critical part of your business. It is the experience. Both of the barista and the customer that either drives success or erodes success.
Being present does not mean getting involved in everything. It simply means you are there enough in an observational capacity, doing some work over a coffee, to see the areas that need work, but also the areas that need affirmation and positive reinforcement. Correcting and encouraging based on hear-say is pretty ineffective
3. Give affirmation separately from critique
When giving positive reinforcement it is hard to stop ourselves from sneaking in some corrections or “coaching”. Nobody will latch on to the positive comments when paired with a critique. Truth is we probably interact so little that when we do we want to just “get it all out there”. We should be communicating enough that we feel confident that whatever critique we do have will be addressed soon and separately. Keep it light hearted, be sincere, make it a simple, uncomplicated compliment and then leave it alone. Let it stand on its own merit. This all may feel awkward but given how practiced we are in critique and how atrophied our encouragement muscles are, that is to be expected.
4. Schedule time for specific positivityÂ
You are busy. We get it. The important things need to make it into your schedule or there is a risk of them not getting done. As crass as “scheduling affirmation” sounds, it is sometimes a necessary first step to making it a priority, then a habit, and finally a natural occurrence. Look at the week and see where there are times you will be in the presence of each of your baristas and then put it on the schedule. Plan affirmation until it is a cultural norm. In your affirmations, don’t just say “great job” or “you’re killing it!” those are shallow and void of meaning and usually are the default of a manager who has nothing else to say. If you cannot pay a specific compliment, you are not paying attention.
In the end this all boils down to having faith in the power of affirmation to drive change. We will need to constantly assess the blind faith we put in critique and bolster the faith we put in positive reinforcement if we want to have a thriving and healthy business and work culture.
Related Episodes:
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