Most of us find it easy to praise our “top performers”—the overachieving employees, prized students, and dutiful children—but we struggle to consistently affirm those who aren't quite as easy to lead.

Here's the problem: when we fail to provide consistent recognition to our middle-of-the-road and struggling performers, their efforts and results only deteriorate further.

In this week's video, I challenge you to keep a log for one week. Track the number of times you provide both positive and constructive feedback to every single employee. Then consider...

• How does your ratio look?

• Where are the gaps?

• What intentional shifts could you make?

Experiment with some thoughtful adjustments to increase the intentionality and frequency of affirmation provided to all employees, then track the impact. I can almost guarantee you'll see a spike in motivation and performance as a result.