Encouragement: You Have To Say It
People are not mind-readers, generally speaking.
Some have more intuition than others. But most of us don't actually know what you're thinking.
Words are a valuable gift. Assumptions aren't worth much. Assumptions say I'm doing fine and I'm doing terrible, depending on who's doing the assuming. And we could all be wrong.
The Pygmalion Effect doesn't work based on assumptions.
Words are necessary.
The people around you have no idea what you think unless you tell them. This requires us to say, "Your work is great. Keep it up." Or, "There is improvement needed here. Let me show you what I'm thinking."
Too often, we assume, rather than speak. We assume people know where they stand.
Here's a secret.
They don't.
Assumptions can destroy relationships.
Assumptions can destroy teams.
Assumptions can destroy entire organizations.
Good leaders empower people with their words. And in that process, encouragement goes a long way.
