German Approach
Germans give praise in direct connection with factually demonstrated performance. Praise in front of the team is seldom. Official awards are rare, for they could lead to envy and undermine team cohesion. Patterns
American Approach
Americans see themselves as positive thinkers, motivators, self-motivators. They seek out reasons to praise. In fact, praise is most instrumental when an individual or entire team is struggling, experiencing defeat and self-doubt. Patterns
American View
Germans are “praise stingy.” Criticism is direct, harsh, in generous supply. Germans miss opportunities to motivate by recognizing good performance.
German View
American praise comes across to Germans as inflationary, as simply unwarranted. They fear a creeping self-delusion.
Advice to Germans
If you are in an American team, be prepared for folks who say good things about you and to you. Accept it. Maybe you deserve it. Life isn’t a zero sum game. Praise for one person doesn’t come at the expense of another.
Allow yourself to be motivated by a positive, self-motivating environment. You won’t become a naive dreamer suddenly committing one unforced error after the other.
If you lead Americans, get generous. Praise, motivate, cheer your team on to victory. Their victory is your victory.
Advice to Americans
There is a German saying which states, “the absence of criticism is praise enough.” German praise comes in a very understated way. You’ll feel like a flower receiving insufficient water and sun.
You’ll need to motivate yourself more than ever before. Fine. Do it. You’ll develop inner strength. If you lead Germans, practice the German art of sober understatement.
If you decide to single out a team member, include praise for the entire team. Avoid any kind of star creation.