Positive Public Regard
Why Positive Public Regard matters
Employee engagement is a major focus in modern management and companies invest heavily in surveys, culture reviews, and extensive reports. The data is often useful, yet it's dismaying how rarely the key lessons are put into practice.
The most glaring example of this is the continuing reliance on formal recognition systems to reward performance while ignoring intrinsic motivators. The evidence is loud and clear that feeling like you belong, that you're valued, and progressing towards important goals, matter far more than perks and prizes. These are key drivers of engagement, and why people quit.
It may sound deceptively simple, but one of the most powerful fixes is to to simply tell someone, in front of their colleagues, that something they did made a positive impact on you. We call this the practice of 'positive public regard'.
When everyone in a team makes a habit of offering authentic positive public regard like this, the collective mood rises, trust and cohesion strengthens, and collaboration becomes easier. This is the fuel that high-performing teams depend on.
It's simple. It's powerful. And it's free.
What is Positive Public Regard?
Positive public regard is the habit of telling someone, in front of others, the specific way their actions improved the work or improved you. It is not empty praise or flattery. It is adult-to-adult communication about genuine positive impact.
Three things define it:
- Direct: You speak to the person, not to the group.
- Specific: You describe the action and the outcome, not the person’s character.
- Experiential: You tell them the effect their actions had on you.
This turns a vague compliment into high-value information. It tells the person exactly what to do more of. It shows the group what good looks like. It strengthens trust because it is grounded in real world impact, not performative pats on the back.
How to do it
The practice is simple on paper but it requires courage and commitment.
Make it a habit
In your meetings, after doing your check-in, provide a short window for people to offer positive public regard to each other. Keep it brief. Keep it regular.
Speak directly
Look at the person. Address them by name. Be sincere.
Be specific about actions and outcomes
Examples:
- “Sarah, your two-slide summary cut through the noise and helped the whole room make a better decision. I feel much more confident now.”
- “Paula, when you stepped in to clarify the client’s concern, it prevented the meeting drifting off track. I was really impressed.”
Not: “Sarah really helped us see what we need to focus on.”
Not: “You’re amazing.”
Tell them the impact their actions had on you
Describe how their actions impacted you, not their identity.
“Sophia, I am so appreciative and relieved you raised that dependency, because it was a blind spot for all of us in the meeting.”
Not: “You’re a natural at project management.”
Protect the practice
Do not let it devolve into casual coffee chats or lightweight niceties. Real regard is slightly uncomfortable because it is honest and specific. If it feels too easy, it is probably not doing much.
