In this concise leadership monologue, Kit Barber argues that most managers focus on catching mistakes, which creates a fear‑based environment that suppresses initiative and harms morale. He proposes flipping the approach: deliberately notice and praise the small, often overlooked actions that demonstrate effort and attention to detail. Barber explains that giving praise triggers the same reward circuitry in both giver and receiver, and cites a statistic that 70% of employees would work harder if they received more recognition, even without higher pay. To make recognition practical, he suggests keeping a quick note on a phone whenever a positive behavior is observed, then sending a brief three‑sentence email at week’s end describing what was seen and why it mattered. This habit takes about two minutes, reinforces that employees are seen as people, not just resources, and can improve leadership effectiveness.
