Acknowledgement and Praise

Posted on: 22/03/2023

We know that appreciation and acknowledgement for the impact you make in the workplace is the number one predictor of job satisfaction.

So, it’s easy to see why leaders use praise, its a powerful tool to help boost performance, decrease turnover and ensure people feel valued. It’s a completely free way to highlight your team’s preferred behaviours.

There is a benefit of giving praise that is often overlooked. Not only the person receiving the praise feels good, the person GIVING the feedback benefits as well.

Have you ever noticed that positive, warm fuzzy feeling that comes with genuinely acknowledging a colleague for their contribution?

When we do or say something good about someone else, we also feel good. Sincere praise also helps us build positive relationships with our teammates.

Sometimes people think it’s only up to the leader to give recognition to the team. However, it can be harder to always witness the positive behaviours when teams are working remotely or we don’t have visibility over everyday tasks.

When we are all focused on finding the positives in what others do, we are more likely to see the benefits and behaviours we are looking for.

This is why sharing praise and appreciation within the team is so powerful. It creates a snowball effect, increasing overall feelings of connectedness, high performance and quality relationships.

Here are some tips to help your praise-giving efforts

• Be specific and timely
• Let the person know what impact their action has on you, the team or the project
• Show your gratitude, give an authentic thank you, kind word or acknowledgement for their effort
• Give it often! Create healthy habits around praise giving to experience those ongoing benefits

And remember, genuine achievements should be praised, empty words serve little or no value to the receiver.