July 4th is when we recognize our country’s independence. Birthdays are when we recognize the passing of time and celebrate being alive another year. Anniversaries, holidays, and awards all are significant to remember, celebrate, and acknowledge. Yet, who have you recognized today?
Recently I attended a conference and was reminded how significant it is to positively recognize others in our work and day-to-day life. I know this in general but when I saw the data, I sat up and paid attention. I think we all need to unlearn past habits of compartmentalizing work issues and work more human - which includes saying thank you and more. Why? The role of leaders has changed.
What is most significant between the past and the present is the last comparison. Past: Impenetrable and Strong versus Now: Vulnerable and Human. It implies that being vulnerable and human is opposed to being impenetrable and strong. That is not the intention. It is simply to put better words to how people feel. This brings us to how to appreciate people being more human and vulnerable.
Humans positively respond when they are recognized for what they are doing well and will amp up their skills to continue to receive positive recognition. Thus, recognition seems to be an element that needs to be emphasized more and put back into our everyday thinking.
So, what is recognition?
Thanks to Gallup and their partnership with WorkHuman, here is what they’ve found:
• Recognition refers to the act of praising, acknowledging or expressing gratitude to employees for who they are and what they do.
• For employees, recognition is not just about what you say, but what you mean.
• When employees self-define recognition, they speak to the functions of recognition as much as the practices. They see recognition as validating their contributions and as a statement about their value.
• Monetary recognition can take the forms of cash, gift cards or points to redeem a reward of choice.
Why does recognition matter?
Gallup found that employees who received the right amount of recognition were 70% less likely to be burned out and 56% less likely to be seeking job opportunities. But what does that look like? How do you know what type of recognition works for your team?
Life events can be anything from celebrating birthdays to providing time off to grieve a deceased pet. A ‘culture of recognition’ provides support for positive verbiage on a regular basis. And being recognized for the work being done by each individual connects them to the project purpose and the company mission, and reinforces that people are paying attention to what they do. These are not hard to implement it just may mean disrupting old thinking.
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