By: Samantha Donohue
MSBA Class of 2013
The Nature of
Affirmation
Remember
back to the time when you first learned how to ride a bike without training
wheels. You are holding your dad’s hand as you mount the bike and he guides you
through the motions of pedaling and steering. As soon as he lets go of your
hand you begin to pedal on your own, and you instinctually look back to see if
your dad saw you succeed.
Now fast-forward a few years to your freshmen year of
college. You raise your hand to answer a question and the professor picks you.
After you present your answer, the professor compliments you in front of the
class for your profound insight and personally congratulates you after class.
You feel more confident and excited for the year.
Let’s fast-forward once more to your first week of working. Your boss calls you into his office to
speak with you regarding the recent analysis you submitted. He praises you for
your method and clear presentation and he rewards you by putting you in charge
of a special project you expressed interest in. You are pleased with yourself
and motivated to accomplish the next task. The key element amongst all of these
examples is your fundamental desire for affirmation. Whether you are a child, a
student, or an employee, you seek affirmation. No matter your stage in life,
up-bringing, culture, or occupation, affirmation plays a role in your life. Affirmation
is essential to the fulfillment of the human person.
My Analysis of
Affirmation
Through
attending the MSBA program I have not only learned crucial skills for business
analysis and marketing, but I have been challenged to evaluate my core values
and understand the role they will play in the workplace. We look beyond the
different management and marketing structures and functionalities to the core
principles of successful manager. In our Management with Integrity class, we
examine and reenact case studies of credible companies. Through our analysis we
devise possible solutions to the presented situation.
One particular case, the
Jensen Shoes Case, we discussed the poor management strategies and the lack
communication between a CEO, manager, and employee. I would argue that at the
heart of this predicament lies the lack of affirmation Chuck, the CEO, has for
Brooks, the employee. Lyndon Brooks was hired to be the Product Promotions
Manager for an undecided target market. He was then assigned to the African
American and Latino markets without given a choice and he was given an
inexperienced team. Brooks raised his concern to Chuck, but Chuck did not take
his concerns seriously and simply advised Brooks to do his best. This
conversation left Brooks more confused and unfilled.
After Brooks had spent a
significant amount of time on the project, Chuck reassigned him to work as
an individual contributor to the Strategic Product Marketing team. Brooks was
expected to tell his team the situation, leave the team behind, and work under
a manager, Jane. Brooks was very frustrated at this new arrangement and at Chuck’s
lack of concern. Brooks’ initial meeting with Jane is cordial and Brooks is
hopeful of getting to do a special project he has expressed interest in. By the
second meeting, Jane is upset that Brooks is focusing more on his special
project than on completing the tasks he has been assigned. Jane is receiving
pressure from Chuck and Brooks is not performing.
A cycle of frustration and
misunderstandings continues between Brooks, Jane, and Chuck. Chuck’s continual
lack of affirmation for Brooks’ ideas and efforts is the cause of tension and
ultimately Brooks lack of fulfillment at Jensen’s shoes.
Affirmation in the
Workplace
Through further
investigation on the topic of affirmation in the workplace, I came across the book
titled, “The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace” by Dr. Gary Chapman
and Dr. Paul White. Gary Chapman is the author of the #1 New York Times best
seller, “The 5 Love Languages” and he is director of Marriage and Family Life
Consultants, Inc. Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, speaker, and
consultant who has been involved with businesses, non-profit organizations,
families, and leaders for more than 20 years. These two experts have aspired to
help business owners, CEOs, supervisors, and coworkers to increase loyalty and
decrease turnover of employees and volunteers, reduce cynicism and create a
more positive work environment, elevate employee engagement by making staff
feel truly valued, and replace ineffective employee recognition with authentic
appreciation. According to the book, affirmation is incorporated into
appreciation in the workplace specifically as the language, words of
affirmation. Words of affirmation is the language that uses words to
communicate a positive message to another person. With words of affirmation,
you are verbally affirming a positive characteristic about a person. There are
many different ways that these words can be communicated. A few ways include
praise for accomplishments, affirmation of character, and praise for
personality. In order for words of affirmation to be effective, they must be
given in the context of a positive relationship. Words of affirmation is one of
the most powerful languages because communication is vital to the workplace. The
other languages of appreciation in the workplace include quality time, acts of
service, tangible gifts, and physical touch. I encourage anyone who wants to be
successful in business to invest in this book and speak the 5 languages of
appreciation daily.
Stewart McHie
Director, MS in Business Analysis
mchie@cua.edu
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Chris Scanlan, a 2012 MSBA graduate, has been named an Account Executive at memoryBlue, a Northern Virginia firm specializing in lead generation, inside sales, full sales cycle management, and recruiting.
