Employees who receive frequent criticism without acknowledgment of their strengths and abilities are being mismanaged. It's our responsibility as professional managers to see clearly what others do well.
When you point out to your employees how to use their communication style and abilities to add value to your department, you show that you've taken the time to really get to know them as individuals, well enough to give advice about playing to their strengths and capabilities. With employees that aren't a great fit for their current roles, you can take note of their strengths and guide them towards a role where their talents and strengths would be a better fit.
When you have these conversations with employees-about their strengths, capabilities, their fit into a particular role-you create a positive emotional wake. By pointing out what people are doing well, how they are moving a project forward or how they add value to the team, you are building a positive emotional wake. Conversely, when we criticize or try to fix other people, we are creating a negative emotional wake in that relationship.
If you find you're creating a negative emotional wake, turn it around by instead thanking others for what they bring to the team. You want your employees to hear what you say supporting opportunities for powerful, positive development. That requires you to clearly ask for what you want, with a tone that shows you really understand each employee's strengths, preferred communication style and motivators. Convey the belief that they will be able to perform the task you're asking them to perform. Be known as a leader who inspires star performance.