Another Side Hustle - Appreciation

Thanks to all who read and commented on my article on my "side hustle." Now, a quick addendum about appreciation.

Quick footnote

I've been teaching cycling/spin classes at our local tennis club for nearly twenty years. Just recently, classes returned after a COVID shutdown. Now I'm back teaching. I couldn't be more thrilled!

When I came in to teach my class this last week, I found a card addressed on the teacher's podium. I opened it and found the title on the front of the card, "You Rock!" When I opened it, I read the message below.

Appreciate Being Appreciated

As I've grown older, I appreciate being recognized like this. Mainly because it's not only thoughtful but insightful. I do put much time into my playlists - every week. Often these playlists have a theme - sometimes serious - other times goofy. Fun themes keep the cyclists engaged and make the time go by quickly.

Above all, these playlists offer an opportunity to share some of my vast (and mostly useless) musical knowledge into something productive. Playlists, I think, are my cycling superpower (if I have one!).

And, even though a card with a couple of sticks of gum isn't the grandest token of appreciation, it's still appreciation - and that's nice - and rare. I like it. So, thank you, Ann!

Avoiding Burnout

Forrester, who provides insightful business research that helps companies transform, found that "lack of recognition for hard work or accomplishment" is the number one predictor of employee burnout. Forrester is my day job. Great company.

In the study, "Forrester's EX Index: A Deeper Look at the Data," the research showed that "organizations must be aware that employees at a basic level want to feel that they have made a positive contribution to the work they are doing and understand how that work fits into the larger ecosystem of the company."

I think little gestures like this card do just that! A manager who takes a couple of minutes to creatively recognize a person on their team also fosters loyalty and higher engagement from the appreciation recipient. When these gestures are backed with genuine sincerity (not a company mandate) and a competitive Employee Value Proposition, that is the true loyalty superpower.

Call To Action

So the question then is, with all this upside for a small investment of time, why aren't managers showing this type of appreciation more often? It seems scalable and repeatable!

Come to think of it, I, too, could start showing this type of appreciation to my teammates! I think I'll start right now and show some appreciation for the work they do!