As a young boy, I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch “Scooby-Doo.” But if nothing else were on, I would watch it. Scoobs was the canine member of a rag-tag group of “do-gooders” that had a knack for solving crimes right before the episode ended. Like most dogs, he loved snack biscuits—appropriately called Scooby Snacks.
If you’ve ever seen an episode of the “Dog Whisperer” or trained an animal, you know treats are used to reinforce good behavior. Bad behavior doesn’t result in a snack; only good behavior does. By using treats as rewards, the trainee very quickly learns how to act and how not to act.
Managers would do well to hand out lots of Scooby Snacks throughout the day to reinforce good behavior. What are Scooby Snacks? That’s a great question.
Basically any reward is a Scooby Snack. Even a reward as simple as a “thank you” or pat on the back can motivate positive behavior. Scooby Snacks may also include incentive compensation, bonuses and more. The important thing is to ensure there is much more positive reinforcement than negative.
Just think of how you felt the last time you were shown sincere appreciation or recognition for something you did. How did it feel? How many times since then have you relived that moment, replayed it in your mind?
I’m not at all saying managers should ignore issues that need to be addressed. However, these more negative interactions must be offset by lots and lots of positive reinforcement to motivate others in a positive manner.
The great thing is there’s always something to reward. Managers need to only look around to find it. Even on the worst of days, expressing gratitude for “sticking it out” or recognizing a person for making a good decision in dealing with a situation may be a positive reward.
