Richard Branson Quotes

The worst mistake a boss can make is not to say 'well done'.

I can't tell you how many thousands of small moments that I've had with employees in our company that have been nothing more than a one-on-one. I'll see the baggage-services person, he or she is by himself. I'll pull them off to the side and have a 15-minute conversation about their history, their life, that kind of thing.

I don't think you can control people. I don't think you manage people. I think you give people a direction, you give them the resources, you lead by example. They get it right, you say, 'Atta girl.' And they get it wrong, you say, 'Not good.'

To get the respect of people, I think you've got to roll up your sleeves and lead with your people. The absolute key is treating your people well. Looking for the best in your people. Lots and lots of praise, no criticism.

I believe that you should praise people whenever you can; it causes them to respond as a thirsty plant responds to water.

When you're managing a large number of people, you learn that incentives matter tremendously. You really want people to be rewarded for doing the right thing for the customers and the organization.

Understanding your employee's perspective can go a long way towards increasing productivity and happiness.

In one's relationship with dogs and with a newsroom, a generous amount of praise and encouragement goes much better than criticism.

Take time to appreciate employees and they will reciprocate in a thousand ways.

The cost of praising someone is nil - but every psychological study shows the payoff is huge.

Especially when you're at a high level in an organization, criticism can be devastating to an employee. I prefer to praise employees for what they're doing right, and it tends to lead to them doing more of the same. Not always, but it's the way I choose to bet.

It is nice to hear some positive words from the manager.

At Manhattan GMAT, I had done my best to create a positive work environment and culture, and I further believed in rewarding people financially at or above the market rate for a job well done.

It's always a pleasure to have a manager give you compliments.

There will always be people who think that money and benefits and even just having a job should be thanks enough. There are also those that think they do a great job without anyone having to thank them. But study after study has shown that no one is immune from the motivating effects of acknowledgement and thanks.

As a leader of people, you have to be a great listener, a great motivator, be very good at praising and bringing out the best in people.

People do a better job if they respect the leader of the company. I learned that on my mission - the value of people and how to truly appreciate them.

The bad news is that ignoring the performance of people is almost as bad as shredding their effort in front of their eyes. Ignoring gets you a whole way out there. The good news is that by simply looking at something that somebody has done, scanning it and saying "Uh huh," that seems to be quite sufficient to dramatically improve people's motivations.

I believe that in order to be a good leader you must understand the value of praising people to success.

Wanted: More Praise I cannot help believing that the world will be a better and a happier place when people are praised more and blamed less; when we utter in their hearing the good we think and also gently intimate the criticisms we hope may be of service. For the world grows smaller every day. It will be but a family circle after a while.

If you want a successful business, your people must feel that you are working for them - not that they are working for you.

There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms from superiors. I never criticize anyone. I believe in giving a person incentive to work. So I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault. . . . I have yet to find a person, however great or exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism.

I like to praise and reward in a loud voice and to scold in a whisper.

There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization's overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow...It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.

Footballers are more likely to work better if they get a pat on their back from the boss. A knife in the back is never the answer.