I try to be very cognizant of what I praise.

Because what is praised becomes behavior that is encouraged and promoted.

However, sometimes behavior is praised that we would not want to promote.

For example, if I were to praise purely the amount of time someone spent in the office that would encourage them, and others, to spend more time in the office.

Which is incredibly destructive, because being at the office longer does not equal more efficiency, work done, or productivity.

So next time you’re about to give a compliment, lead by example and tell your coworkers they did an excellent job on a project instead of praising how long they’re in the office.