ATTABOYS, WARM FUZZIES, AND THE GOLDEN GLOW

How do you get that extra effort that makes a good school into a great one? Use the combination of
"attaboys, warm fuzzies, and the golden glow." In today’s shortage of educational finances, the paucity of
discretionary monetary funds is too quickly evident. Salary raises are often more symbolic than significant. Yet
educators need the positive stroke of the reward. So unless the recipients are starving, these magic words can
mean more: "thank you," "good work," "I appreciate it," or simply "attaboy.". When accompanied by the
pressing of the flesh (handshake, pat on the back), these simple words can work small miracles.

But how do you know where and when to use the magic words? As for the where, you must distinguish
between good work and just getting the job done—that’s called "the deserving concept," and on it rests the
honesty of your "attaboys." Don’t broadcast these good "attaboys" like grass seed; be selective, as in planting
potatoes! But when in doubt, use them. As for the when, find out who's doing good work and distinguish
between "doing the work" and "getting credit for the work done." Plug your ear into the socket of what's being
done, and reward your source with a verbal "attaboy." Actions that bring pleasure are repeated; an "attaboy"
is gratifying, and soon you'll be kept more knowledgeable about the good work in your institution.

Then there is the "written attaboy."

Mrs. Flitzboomer just told me of your extra effort in building the SQUARM system, and I thank
you for your time and originality in this matter. Your work has made this a better school!

You should acknowledge the person (Mrs. Flitzboomer) who sent you the original information! It'll send nice
"warm fuzzies" between those two people, and both will feel more positive about you. Time involved? Three
minutes of long hand, two minutes at a word processor, or thirty seconds of dictation.

Need a higher level of "attaboy"? Try the written letter of commendation, couched in more formal terms,
with the original placed in the personnel folder. You can use it in letters of recommendation or promotion, and
the recipient should be told about it. Cost? A little higher than the written "attaboy" because you're using
letterhead paper and a carbon instead of your scratch pad.

For higher motivational tools, let your mind really reach: small plaques to hang on office walls, complete
with notices to the local newspaper; public accolades at school dinners, graduations, and other events. Choose
these recipients carefully, make these "big" and "super attaboys" public, and make them special! Now you're
spreading the "golden glow."

Any classroom instructor who has thrown away his red grading pen (red says anger) and picked up a soft
green or blue one has taken the first tiny step. After a good answer, give the student a written "good work" or,
better still, an "attaboy." If that’s too much trouble, use a cheap rubber printing stamp! Paste a gold star, just
like in grade school. If the action is deserving, make the motion.

Administrators to deans, faculty to students—does the "golden glow" have to be vertically descending? Not
at all. It works about as well on the horizontal level, for here’s where the spoken and touching "warm fuzzy"
can most immediately brighten a day.

An "attaboy" or a "warm fuzzy" is as easy as reaching for your memo pad and green pen. With your
leadership, a class, or a department, or an entire college can develop the "golden glow."

David Holcombe
Instructor of Human Relations
Blue Ridge Technical College

For further information, contact the author at Blue Ridge Technical College, Route 2, Flat Rock, NC 28731.

 

 

Suanne D. Roueche, Editor

March 14, 1986, Vol. VIII, No. 8
INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin,
Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. Subscriptions are available to nonconsortium members for $35 per year. . Funding in part by the W. K. Kellogg
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® The University of Texas at Austin, 1986
Further duplication 1s permitted only by MEMBER institutions for their own personnel. ISSN 0199-106X