Pick up a newspaper or watch a television news bulletin and it is often difficult to get past all the things that aren’t working or are wrong in the world. The incessant focus on bad news and the ‘issues’ of the day (scandals, corruption, incompetence, etc.) can make it hard to stay ‘above the line’.
Unfortunately this negativity can spill over into the workplace, where we spend a lot of time discussing problems and issues and can easily overlook recognising those things that are working well.
Thankfully there is a very easy way to remedy this situation. It simply involves recognising and acknowledging the good things that people do. Just as a negative culture can ‘flatten’ morale and send people ‘below the line’, regular recognition, when thoughtfully given, can build people up and improve morale.
For a leader, the trick with recognition is to be proactive and specific about it.
The first step is to get into the habit of noticing the small things that people do well. This means taking the time to observe what is going on in your workplace, in particular when the actions of one person have a positive effect on others.
When you do notice, talk with the person face-to-face and let them know what you have noticed. Say “Thank you for…” or “I appreciate…”, then describe what you observed. Reinforce your recognition by commenting on the specific impact that the action or behaviour had on you and/or others.
Being specific is very important here. Simply saying to someone, “You’ve done a good job” might feel worthwhile, but it may not come across as anything more than an ‘off the cuff’ statement. A specific observation, on the other hand, indicates that you have been taking notice and that you have recognised the benefit and impact of the person’s action. It makes the recognition that much stronger and more personal. It shows that you appreciate and value both the person and what they have done.
Another important consideration in recognition is the way the person likes to receive feedback. This is, again, something you will need to learn by observation. Some people are happy to receive recognition publicly. Some people love it! Others would be embarrassed by being praised in public and would prefer to receive recognition ‘on the quiet’. Getting this wrong can often be counterproductive.
How well do you receive recognition?
It is always interesting to compare different cultural responses to recognition. Here in Australia we can sometimes experience a strong cultural aversion to people ‘big noting’ themselves. As a result, we can often be quite reticent about being recognised for doing a good job, especially publicly.
I remember a very famous advertising campaign which ran in Australian in the 1980s. The jingle’s main line was “You ought to be congratulated…” and the ad featured a mother serving up all sorts of food during the day. However, the ad wasn’t congratulating the mother for all her work – it was congratulating her for using the particular brand of margarine. A back-handed compliment if ever there was one, but perhaps quite at home in the Australian context!
Australians are often quick to dismiss or play down recognition. “I was just doing my job” or “It was nothing” are both common responses. Another way of diluting recognition is by interrupting the flow of the person praising us – saying “Thank you” before they have finished, for instance.
If we are going to get better at giving recognition, we also need to get better at receiving it. This means listening carefully – and without interrupting – when someone is praising us, accepting their compliments with grace and even giving ourselves a quiet pat on the back afterwards (without feeling guilty for feeling good about it).
All in all, a broad effort to get better at both giving and receiving recognition would go a long way towards building a more positive society. While there are plenty of issues that need confronting, there is also much to appreciate about the world we live in and the people around us.
Gayle