I say this to my team a lot, even though they're operating as "expected" levels for my company.
The reality is there are a lot of teams and a lot of companies that simply do not expect much from their teams. We do. I want to remind the team that they are doing good work.
When people have confidence they're doing a good job, they're more likely to continue to do a good job.
I'm not one of Pavlov's dogs.
It's different when it comes from a technical peer or a technical manager. There it definitely means more.
Closer to my point though, it was the continued repetition of the positive reinforcement. I'm talking a weekly occurrence where the situation did not call for the reinforcement. It felt fake and, to me, had the opposite effect as intended.
give real praise only when it's deserved. support and compassion, however, should always be readily at hand.
To me it would come down to whether I think other person is praising my work just to get more of it done just for the praise (I'd have negative reaction), or whether he just likes it that much personally (neutral to mildly positive reaction).
Praise implies being in a position to praise at all. Having some authority or mastery with regard to what is praised.
Often enough, I am that authority. I don’t expect praise from my clients. I’m getting payed precisely because they lack the mastery I offer.
Instead I would be happy to hear about their true feelings. Stories of gratitude, or relief, or whatever else happened in their life that I might have played a role in.
It's just part of the communication style of someone, or even part of a culture of a country. If it bothers me, and it is the relationship I care about or looks to be long term, I may ask the person to communicate differently with me.
But most of the time I get praise from random people on the internet, and I just interpret it that they are grateful for my contributions, regardless of what they say.
Sometimes they want something from me, and are probably not comfortable with just asking for it, so they pad the communication with some praise about the software or me. Some state that they're uncomfortable asking for help more directly, some just add praise at the beginning/end of each reply. (which gets kinda strange after 3-4 interactions :))
It's nice if someone communicates more directly, but I can try to understand the other people, too, regardless of communication style.
I do agree with the general sentiment of the parent post though. Having managed IT (operations not development) when good work is done, often the intention is that no one notices. Therefore the broader organisation may not have sufficient awareness that anything of value has been achieved.
In such circumstances I believe it is up to the manager to both manage up in terms of making the team's achievement known and recognised, as well as represent the organisation and acknowledge the team's work.
A few of the posts above are essentially prescribing using STAR to offer feedback, which I think is more thoughtful than just generic words of affirmation. This can be made even more authentic if you take the time to talk to affected stakeholders and gather real testimonials to pass back to the team.
They're just as liable to continue doing a shit job, and with the confidence that your opinion isn't worth a dram.
I'm always surprised with how many people (especially at this site?) doesn't seem to like praise and approval.