■ Support. Even in routine operations, when there is no emergency or strategic crisis, people benefit from support in the form of feedback. As a rule, they do not get enough of it. One can ask people in almost any organization, “How do you know if you are doing a good job?” Ninety percent are likely to respond, “If I do something wrong, I’ll hear about it.” Too often this topic is discussed as if praise were the only answer; it is not. What people are saying is that they do not have sufficient discussion about performance and tangible support from their leaders to improve effectiveness.

Successful leaders know that praise without support is an empty gesture.15