Why Great Leaders Use More Encouragement and Less Praise

Most of us grew up with a very traditional model of motivation. A child brings home a drawing from school and proudly shows it to a parent. The parent immediately responds:

"That's beautiful!"

"You're such a great artist!"

"That's the best drawing I've ever seen!"

The child feels good in the moment, but there is a hidden problem. The child never gets the opportunity to evaluate the drawing for themselves. Instead of learning to assess their own effort, improvement, and satisfaction, they begin looking to others for validation.

Over time, motivation shifts from internal to external. The child starts doing things to earn praise rather than because they find personal value in the accomplishment itself. What many leaders don't realize is that this same dynamic often appears in the workplace.

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The Praise Trap in Business

Traditional management often sounds like this:

"Great job!"

"You're my best employee."

"Excellent work."

While these comments are well-intentioned, they can unintentionally create a workforce that becomes dependent on approval rather than ownership. Employees begin looking to management for validation instead of developing confidence in their own judgment and abilities.

As leaders, our goal should not be to create employees who need us to constantly tell them they are doing well. Our goal should be to help employees become confident, independent problem-solvers.

Encouragement Builds Ownership

Years ago, while managing employees in corporate America, I discovered something interesting. When employees brought me problems, they often expected me to provide answers.  It would have been easy to simply tell them what to do. Instead, I often responded with questions:

"What could you have done differently?"

"How would you solve this if you were the manager?"

"What options do you see?"

"What do you think is the best next step?"

Notice that these responses are not criticism.

They are not praise either.

They are encouragement.

Encouragement communicates:

"I believe you're capable of figuring this out."

That message is far more powerful than simply handing someone the answer. When employees discover solutions for themselves, they develop confidence, judgment, and professional self-reliance.

Let Employees Tell Their Own Success Stories

When a team member solved a difficult problem, I tried not to become the hero of the story. Instead, during staff meetings, I would invite them to explain what they did. I wanted the team to hear directly from the person who solved the problem. Rather than saying:

"Sarah did an excellent job fixing this issue."

I might ask:

"Sarah, can you walk us through how you approached this challenge?"

Now Sarah receives recognition, but she also gets something more valuable:

Ownership.

The accomplishment belongs to her.

The confidence belongs to her.

The learning belongs to her.

And the rest of the team learns from her experience.

Helping Employees See Their Own Strengths

One of my favorite exercises occurred about once each quarter. If the team was small, I would go around the conference table and invite each person to identify something valuable another team member brought to the group. For larger teams, I would hand out slips of paper and ask employees to write down strengths they observed in each of their coworkers. The results were often remarkable.

Employees frequently discovered that others valued qualities they didn't recognize in themselves.

Leadership.

Reliability.

Creativity.

Patience.

Problem-solving.

Calmness under pressure.

Many people spend years overlooking their greatest strengths until someone helps them see them.

Encouragement Creates Self-Motivation

Praise says:

"You're good because I think you're good."

Encouragement says:

"I see effort. I see growth. I see capability."

Praise often creates dependence.

Encouragement creates confidence.

Praise focuses on the leader's evaluation.

Encouragement helps people evaluate themselves.

The most effective leaders understand that their job is not to create followers. Their job is to create capable people who can think, solve problems, and succeed without constant supervision.

Whether you're raising children or leading employees, the principle remains remarkably similar. People grow the most when they are trusted, encouraged, and empowered to discover their own abilities.

The best leaders don't simply provide answers. They help people discover that they already possess many of them.

This post was written by Bill Corbett, Director of the Hartford Springfield Opportunity Network. Bill is an author, speaker, and founder of the original Hartford Springfield Speakers Network, a professional community that grew to attract 40+ attendees per session and inspired the creation of the Movers & Shakers Blog. He is the author of multiple books, including Becoming a Conference Speaker, and has delivered presentations internationally, including keynote sessions in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

A Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)—Toastmasters International’s highest honor—Bill has spent decades helping professionals strengthen their communication, expand their visibility, and grow their influence. Through his writing, speaking, and community-building work, he is passionate about creating opportunities for others to be seen, heard, and remembered.