Today is my 13 year anniversary at my company.
It’s a bit of a tradition for people in my org to get an email of congrats for them sent out to everyone for the team to say “Hey great job”.
I haven’t gotten one of these in 5 years.
I casually mentioned this to my leadership a few years back and was told “Well we always thought you were above idle praise. “, and don’t get me wrong there’s a bit of a truth to that.
However, as someone who has worked on both sides of the coin as a leader and as a direct report, my advice is to let that person decide that. Give them the praise and then let them tell you “Hey you don’t have to do that. “
The reason is because so many times our direct reports can feel unseen, or under appreciated. There’s a ton of times where there’s maybe something personal going on and they as people feel unseen or under appreciated. It’s not up to us as leaders to decide that for them, it’s up to us to let them make that choice and it’s up to us to understand that sometimes situations change.
Praise your people when you can and where you can and let them know they’re valued for the investment they put into YOU and your company. They’re the lifeblood of what makes you look good, so if a 3 minute email is what you can do to make them feel valued, that’s a 3 minute investment worth it every single time and anything beyond that time is just better and better.
That said, my favorite part of being here for 13 years has been the chance and opportunities to meet incredible people and in my learning and development role show my appreciation for the dedication and talent everyone I meet brings to the table every single day. It pushes me as an employee, a leader, a person to be my best self every single day.
If I’ve interacted with you at my company, THANK YOU. Even for the smallest of time, because it reminds me of why I’m here and the fantastic company I keep. I can’t wait to do more and see where this ride takes me.
Skal.
