Stop telling others "Good Job!"

In today’s rapid-paced environment, where deadlines are shorter, priorities are constantly changing, and we are forced to do more with less, we often push aside one of the most critical opportunities we have as leaders. That is the opportunity to recognize others for the contributions they make. The old adage “No news is good news” does not work in today’s work environment.

Now, more than ever, our workforce needs and wants feedback, and they want it timely and often. They want to know how they are doing and what they can tweak to be better. They need to feel valued and know that their contributions and effort and time matter. This is especially important with millennials.

As Larry Alton shared in the Forbes article, How Millennials are Reshaping What’s Important in Corporate Culture, “Millennials crave a sense of purpose and want to feel engaged at work; while this is a subjective feeling, it’s relatively easy to instill. Businesses have to make workers feel like their work truly matters, and that they’re working toward a worthwhile goal. In fact, this can result in a competitive advantage over the majority of businesses; only 29 percent of millennials currently feel like they’re ‘engaged’ at their jobs.” If millennials don’t feel valued, they won’t stick around.

One of the basic needs we have as human beings is the need to feel heard and seen. While it feels incredibly important to us, it’s not in our nature to directly ask for recognition when we need it.

As leaders, we understand the value of recognition. We know it directly impacts employee motivation, employee engagement, and career development, but knowing it and applying it are two different things, especially when we have a full plate. Let’s face it; many of us are figuring out how to do this on the fly. We have not been taught how to recognize others in a way that makes a difference for them. It’s not something we learned in school.

Between the challenge with time constraints and the lack of sheer know-how, it’s not getting done. What we do instead is we say, “Good job,” “Nice work,” and “Thank you so much for staying late.”

We believe it is a form of recognition because it’s how we’ve been recognized. But it’s not. Those statements are simply compliments, which is no different than saying, “Nice shirt.” A compliment is nice, but it doesn’t inspire action. It falls short because we are pointing to what they accomplished. We are not honoring what it took to accomplish it. This is where the true value of acknowledgment lies.

A true acknowledgment recognizes who the other person is being, not just what that person has done. For example, you might say, “It took courage to speak up for yourself in that meeting” or “I admire your determination to come in early every day this week so you could get a kick-start on the new project.”

When employees hear a true acknowledge of who they are being, they’re more inspired to demonstrate those qualities in the future. That type of acknowledgment gives them something to sink their teeth into. As a result, they will produce great things because their worth is not attached to the result (what they did). It’s attached to the behavior or attitude that helped achieve that result (who they are).

True acknowledgment highlights being, not doing.

In today’s marketplace, attitude is king. You can have the most skilled expert on your team, but if their attitude (who the they are being) does not align with what’s needed for the job (what the they are doing), that “expert” will become the biggest nightmare for you and your team.

What will it take to move from complimenting to acknowledging?

What if you stopped and took the time to acknowledge individuals on your team not just for what they did but what it took for them to do it? How might they respond differently and as a result perform differently? What new results might you see?

Acknowledgment is not a box to check off a to-do list. Yes, it’s extremely important to acknowledge your team and those you work with. But if you say to yourself at the end of the week, “Dang I haven’t acknowledged anyone this week,” and then you scramble to dig up something that feels mediocre to deliver, you are wasting your time. If you find yourself acknowledging because you know you should or because it’s been a while since you have, it is not genuine.

We have all experienced that manager pretending to be grateful and going through the motions. It’s almost embarrassing to hear such a manager. The energy behind his or her words sends a singular message: “I don’t really care.” People feel that energy whether they are conscious of it or not.

Don’t be that leader. If you are struggling with something genuine to say, or are unsure of what to acknowledge in your team member, you can always ask that team member this:

What would you like most to be acknowledged for? And how?

Why waste your time wondering? By asking, you find out exactly what they like. Now, you’ve got a place to start. Like any new muscle, the muscle of acknowledgment takes time to strengthen. It doesn’t happen over- night. You strengthen it by experimenting to see what works and what doesn’t. Keep what works. Throw out what doesn’t. What is most critical is that you acknowledge and that you acknowledge consistently.

The more you genuinely acknowledge, the more it will start to become a natural way that you lead. Fostering a culture of acknowledgment is not only powerful; it’s critical to the health and well-being of your team and those you work with.

Employees who are appreciated for who they are will be more engaged, more productive, and more content. Happy employees create happy customers. Happy employees also create happy leaders.

Go forth, acknowledge your team members, and inspire them to greatness!

About the Author

Jean Marie DiGiovanna, CPCC is an international keynote speaker, corporate educator and certified executive coach who has been helping leaders and their teams think and lead differently for over 25 years. She is a master of experiential learning and speaks on leadership, employee engagement and innovation.

Her programs combine the tool of powerful questions with proven leadership strategies and techniques to create cultural transformation with her clients, who range from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. Jean Marie's programs are highly engaging and content-rich, with tools leaders and their teams can apply immediately to succeed.

To learn more about Jean Marie's Leadership keynotes & programs, visit www.jeanmariespeaks.com

To get more questions and tools to help acknowledge your teams visit: www.stoptalkingstartasking.com