“…At least it’ll tell you how great you are. You’re the top!” ~ Cole Porter

It can feel fantastic to be recognized by a person whose views you hold as important.  Whether you prefer a private recognition or a public recognition, or both. (For this piece, we’re going to assume person-to-person private recognition because many are uncomfortable with public displays.)

In your work, you experience a beam of inner warmth, pride or satisfaction when your boss, senior people and/or clients choose to emphasize your abilities, skills and contributions. When they let you know they see who you are specifically and uniquely.

Most people want to be acknowledged for their special sauce, what they bring as an individual. Your thoughts asked for and heard by colleagues and higher-level employees. And should a boss ask for your opinions and ideas and value your contributions and also recognize what drives you, then you want to continue working with them and among similar kind of people, feeling motivated and fulfilled.  According to a white paper by O.C. Tanner, “79% of people who quit their jobs cite “lack of appreciation” as their reason for leaving. And, Gen Y’s and Z’s look for appreciation more than seasoned professionals.

Just as you appreciate being recognized, you can apply that to those who report to you. You can make a big difference in someone’s life easily by giving praise and showing gratitude. With the added benefit that it will make you feel good by giving something nice to someone.

Three weeks ago, thanks to Jamie Thomason, Chris Connors and Jamie’s company, Mursion https://www.mursion.com/, I took part in an artificial intelligence training and development virtual exchange and demonstration with an avatar, Dani. Dani had a challenge in her virtual world, she was feeling down and unable to work up to her usual par performance because of all the pressures from our pandemic. Using my emotional intelligence to lead her to formulate and adapt different behavior, her confidence returned and her mood became increasingly upbeat.  She was motivated to return to her previous performance level. Bennett, my avatar mentor, was also pleased with Dani and my coaching of her. And, not only did Dani feel great, I felt terrific because Bennett confirmed my special sauce that I have developed through years of experience.  Also, because I had assisted with Dani feeling better.

Here is a video of the highlights of the roundtable.

In the virtual example and in reality, when someone feels seen, they pass their pride and joy from that memory to others they interact with during the day so the good feelings spread. So, in recognizing a team member or colleague, their appreciation for that approval works to spread positive emotions among colleagues, clients and team members they work with. A great number of people are then affected by a demonstration of recognition and approval for one person!

Circling back to you, I see you. You are a wonderful leader with heart.  As that wonderful visionary, what could you be doing, particularly now during the working from home era, to boost a direct report’s performance, commitment and well-being?

Remember, it could spread from one individual to many.

 

The world right now needs more leaders and the right leaders.

If you are in a position to bring forth good change, encouragement, and growth – you want full access to your potential.  Make the choices you need to be the leader that advocates change to look forward to.  That change which engages your people, improves productivity and highlights the abilities of your team members.

If you would like to have a conversation on how you can do this, contact me: Susan@SusanGoldbergLeadership.com