I wanted to take a different approach for this leadership/coaching article. My goal is to get more participant involvement within the C# Corner community. I really enjoyed Mahesh Chand’s article “Mindset Of A Growth Community” and what really resonated with me were the sections covering courage, support, and engagement. In the spirit of his article, I am asking as many people as possible to participate in a Leadership Challenge. The goal is not to win as an individual but rather as a community.
It is no surprise that positive reinforcement is a powerful motivator when trying to maximize the performance of an individual or a team. The challenge is,
- By Friday, September 8, reach out to a team member, peer, direct report, or someone who matters to you in your life. Deliver a positive comment to that individual.
- Respond in the comments section of this article with the message you gave to the individual.
- Share the reaction you received from the individual.
Tips on giving positive feedback
I recommend following a methodology developed by Dr. Thomas Gordon. This includes delivering the message with,
- A specific description of their positive behavior
- The positive effect this behavior had on you
- How their behavior made you feel
Many times, we give positive feedback without much thought. Sayings include “great job on that project” or “solid work over the past few days.” These statements do not capture the positive work actually performed. Here is an example using Dr. Gordon’s methodology:
“Joe, I was really excited when you fixed three reporting bugs in the beta release because that allowed me to attend the QA meeting with my boss and come up with a strategy for our team. Thank you so much.”
I look forward to seeing a lot of participation. Feel free to ask any questions, as I will be monitoring the feedback/comments throughout the week.
Look for my next article during the week of October 2, 2017.

Rajesh GamiPosted Apr 22, 2018, 10:50 PM
Thank u so much ..Lou
Suvendu Shekhar GiriPosted Sep 10, 2017, 9:02 AM
My comment may not be considered as an entry for the prize as I delayed in posting this due to certain medical emergencies but, I would certainly go ahead to say few lines about somebody who always inspires me to contribute more to the community. @Tadit Dash, a young, energetic MVP, a younger brother & a good friend of mine always sets such example that I get bound to be motivated to work hard for the community. I know him since around 3 years and I notice he gets more energetic as the time pasts. He is a 3 times Microsoft MVP & Codeproject MVP. He is such an honest and innocent guy with a kind heart and helps everybody when they need any technical or any other help. He is a HERO for me.
Hamid KhanPosted Sep 9, 2017, 6:31 AM
How to talk your boss,if your boss is to rigid
Munish APosted Sep 9, 2017, 4:25 AM
I could feel Leadership qualities in me, after this task
Munish APosted Sep 9, 2017, 4:24 AM
Hi Lou, sorry for the delay hope you will consider it. I encouraged my cousin, A 6th grade student on OUT OF BOX thinking, to create ideas for solving our problems in technical way. the result is now he is thinking creatively to solve problems upto his level and also participated in a national ideas submission contest. I learn to be " MATURED CHILD".
Pranav MittalPosted Sep 9, 2017, 4:08 AM
Hi Lou, Thanks for letting us actively participate in this challenge. And, I know that my comment is delayed by one day (sorry for that) but I hope you would consider it. I tried the positive reinforcement on one of my colleagues who is working on improving his writing skills. I appreciated his efforts and suggested some easy reads for boosting the process. I won't deny the positive impact. He has finished two books already in just 3 days and yesterday, he told that he is very grateful to me for helping him get better.
Lou TroiloPosted Sep 7, 2017, 6:57 PM
To all my friends at C# Corner....don't miss the opportunity to give positive feedback and share with everyone. Tomorrow is the deadline :)
Lou TroiloPosted Sep 7, 2017, 6:55 PM
Hello all. Here is my example: The situation is that I am looking for a new job and working with some recruiters..."Mary, I am really encouraged when you touch base with me weekly for this job opportunity because it give me piece of mind knowing where I am at in the hiring process. Thank you so much."
Kshitij YelkarPosted Sep 7, 2017, 10:49 AM
Thanks Lou for this blog and talked on leadeahip and thanks to vithal for sharing the same.I recently resigned my cureent organisation and not disclosed on my last date with all. but one of the member from BA team ,she got my news of leaving organisation , then on one night at 11 pm i got her msg on my whatsup as below. Hi Kshitij Just wanted to share with u... it was nice bag good time being u as project manager... learned lot... If we ever match the energy and enthusiasm like u in work.. coordinations and ur listening ability with any member of group and specially calmness.. Among all PMO I worked more with in iscrum and rose team and it was wonderful experience Thanks for introducing different topics in retrospective meeting and involvement of members..When someone wrote like this for me, its really touch to my heart , It means i really did some change for my people in my orgnisation... This gives me kick for my life.... Taking Care of my people and build their capabilities at next level in organisation is my passion...
Munish APosted Sep 7, 2017, 8:12 AM
Great initiative. These type of initiative will create a great community. These type of tasks will reduce selfishness and loneliness.
Mahesh ChandPosted Sep 7, 2017, 7:28 AM
Wonder of any of you guys tried this yet? Also, don't forget to share your experience. Cheers!
Suvendu Shekhar GiriPosted Sep 7, 2017, 2:40 AM
Great initiative really! Really liked the idea and intention behind it. Thanks :)
Mukesh KumarPosted Sep 7, 2017, 12:39 AM
Ok sir I will really appreciate your articles
Mahesh ChandPosted Sep 6, 2017, 6:30 AM
Nice Lou. I like the active participation. It makes us do things, which we usually don't do otherwise, even we know, we should. I'm going to try this exercise myself :)
Dr Naveen SharmaPosted Sep 6, 2017, 1:44 AM
Nice Start Lou, First of all welcome to CsharpCorner community and second, looking forward the great reading experience through your articles. This article touched down the areas, where in people do not know how to provide a productive/positive feedback. This surely paves way for the further development of individual and increases the efficiency of co-workers or team. Great article. Regards
Shakti Singh DulawatPosted Sep 6, 2017, 1:33 AM
Ok so Was honestly waiting for your article, and I think the biggest challenge for me is talking to unknown people whom you never meet or never chat anytime, some time this talk just end with hello and ok