We all know how good it is to feel valued at work. But, as a manager, is it worth the time and expense? And how can we ensure that our recognition resonates?
In today's episode, we dive into the powerful world of appreciation and recognition! We chat about how everyone loves to be recognized, but not everyone enjoys the spotlight in the same way. You’ll hear us share our personal experiences with recognition. We emphasize the importance of understanding individual preferences when it comes to appreciation, because what resonates with one person might not connect with another.
We also discuss some practical tips for recognizing your team or peers without breaking the bank. You’ll learn that simple, genuine compliments can go a long way, and how being specific about what you appreciate can amplify someone’s performance. Plus, we touch on the idea of the "platinum rule"—treating others the way they want to be treated. So, whether you're a manager or just someone looking to spread a little positivity, this episode is packed with insights and actionable ideas to help you create a culture of recognition in your workplace and beyond!🌟
📚 Further Reading:
Profit from the Positive by Margaret H. Greenberg and Senia Maymin, PhD.
Forward by Tom Rath, who we all know and love as the author of StrengthsFinder 2.0.
Whether you lead three employees or 3,000, this book shows you how to increase productivity, collaboration, and profitability using the simple yet powerful tools from the field of Positive Psychology.
Features case studies of some of the most forward-thinking and successful companies today―Google, Zappos, and Amazon
Provides over two dozen evidence-based tools you can apply immediately, and are completely free!
5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman & Paul White
This book gives you the tools to create a more positive workplace, increase employee engagement, and reduce staff turnover by teaching you to effectively communicate authentic appreciation and encouragement to employees, co-workers, and leaders.
BONUS: Each book contains a free access code to take the Motivating By Appreciation (MBA) Inventory, so you can learn your language of appreciation.
Let's start appreciating each other in ways that truly resonate! Because people are good. And the numbers will follow. 🎧✨
#Podcast #Productivity #Leadership #PersonalDevelopment #Appreciation #Recognition #WorkplaceCulture #TeamEngagement
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Recognition is Personal: Not everyone wants to be in the spotlight. While some thrive on public praise, others may feel uncomfortable with it. It's crucial to understand individual preferences when it comes to recognition. Pay attention to body language and responses when you acknowledge someone's efforts. This will help you tailor your approach and make your recognition more meaningful.
Specificity Matters: Generic praise like "Good job!" can feel empty. Instead, focus on specific actions and results that you appreciate. For example, instead of just saying "Great work," try saying, "I loved how you handled that complex project; your analysis really helped us make informed decisions." This not only shows that you are paying attention but also reinforces the behaviors you want to see repeated.
The Power of Intentionality: Our brains are wired to focus on what’s wrong. That’s why it’s essential to be intentional about recognizing the good in others. By actively looking for and celebrating strengths, we will create a more positive environment that builds trust and encourages people to work hard. In fact, research shows that frequent recognition can lead to a 40% increase in productivity!
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● Start Recognizing Immediately: Recognition doesn’t have to be a big to-do or include expensive gifts. It can be as simple as a verbal acknowledgment, a note, or an email. You can start small. The key is to just start.
● Be Specific in Your Praise: Instead of generic compliments like "good job," focus on specific actions or results that you appreciated. Highlight what the person did well and how it aligns with their strengths to encourage them to repeat that behavior.
● Utilize CliftonStrengths: If you have access to the CliftonStrengths reports for your team, use the language and insights from those reports to tailor your recognition. This will help you appreciate team members in a way that resonates with them personally.
● Create a Recognition Culture: Encourage a culture of appreciation not just as a manager but also as a peer. Look for opportunities to recognize small acts of kindness or effort in your daily interactions, both at work and in your personal life.
● Download Lisa’s free resource: “127 Ways to Recognize Your Team" to find various methods of appreciation that go beyond simple praise.
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Lisa:
Hey, I'm Lisa.
Brea:
I'm Brea.
Lisa: And today's topic is appreciation and recognition.
Brea: I love to be recognized.
Lisa: Well, I think most people love to be recognized. And just like we have different strengths, we have different styles for recognition, too. Especially at work. So let's talk about that element. How do you even know, say you are in a staff meeting with 100 people and you want to call them up to the stage so you can shine the spotlight on them and you see them shrink? How do you even avoid that?
How do you know what someone likes and how they want to be appreciated?
Brea: All I can think is, I've been that person. As much as I love to be in the spotlight, I love to shine the spotlight on other people. I love to just spoil and make people feel so special. I mean, hello, I'm the hype girl. You know what I mean? This is what I do. And so I've been in that position so many times, Lisa, where I have put so much thought and effort and time, money, all the things into creating this super delicious moment to really celebrate this person.
And then it doesn't go as I planned. I missed the mark in some way. And I think it comes from not always really understanding what it is that they want. Just because I want the spotlight doesn't mean everyone does. Right. So yeah, it's such an interesting conversation. Yes.
Lisa: I mean, I know recognition and appreciation, at their best, they require some specificity and the person to know what the thing is, but also just the idea of praise and attention in general can be great. I saw this McKinsey research that said, praise, attention from leaders, and opportunities to lead to projects are more effective motivators than performance-based cash rewards, increases in base pay, or stock options.
Brea: Wow, that's pretty powerful. Yeah, I mean, all I hear is Jerry McGuire, like, show me the money, but like, that's not always true, you know? It's not always true.
Lisa: And how many times do we have leaders, we're working with them to build their cultures, we're doing workshops with them, And they're like, I don't have the budget to just be throwing money at people for everything they do that's great. And that's the good news here. You can appreciate and recognize employees without it.
So what do you do, Brea? They come to you and they say, where do I start? I don't have any money to give. I don't have budget for this sort of thing. What are some things I can be thinking about when I want to recognize my team or appreciate good performance?
Brea: Yeah, so just start doing it, okay? Let's not worry about the best or the ideal or the perfect way to appreciate or recognize. Just start, a quick compliment, recognizing something good that someone has done. period and say it out loud. You can write it in a card. You can tell them in passing. You can just make a quick trip to the cube, you know, and tap them on the shoulder and say, hey, I noticed this. Even an email.
I mean, anything that is more than what you're doing now, will it be appreciated? And then look for the shining eyes, look for the change in posture, the chest kind of puffs out a little bit or they sit up a little bit taller. Notice those signs of reception, of the recognition. And look for the shrinking people, you know, look for the people who are like, oh, no, please don't recognize me out loud in this team meeting in front of everybody. Pay attention to how they respond and you'll get better and better at appreciating and recognizing them in the way that they want to be recognized and appreciated or for the things that are most meaningful to them. I love it.
Lisa: I love hearing the simplicity of just get to the doing and don't worry so much about the details. I find myself often giving the do's and don'ts so I like how you said it better to get someone to just get over the hump and go. I mean go beyond time spent because it's really easy to Make your first foray into recognition.
Like, “I know everyone's been working so hard. Everyone's been staying up so late.” And it's not like you want to non-recognize people for putting in extra effort. But it also doesn't give them any information.
One of the things I bust people on all the time is saying, Oh, “good job, buddy.” Good job, Brea. Good job. But there's nothing. There's no substance. It just feels like a platitude.
I mean, if it's genuine and you did think they did a good job, I think that is better than saying nothing. However, if you can really get focused on the results you love seeing, What is the specific thing they did that they could repeat? So could you add on, I loved how this, I really appreciated this element of it.
And remember, if somebody already created a result that you want, and you tell them about it, they can do it again, because they've already done it. So it's easy to repeat.
And if they're using their strengths, it came naturally to them. So calling out the result part, and if it aligns with their strengths, and it got a result, you're going to amplify their performance. So you get something out of it, too, even if it feels like it's taking up your mental time and space to come up with the words to recognize them. It's worth it. It's worth it for them, for their engagement, for the performance of the team. I mean, all the way around.
Brea: This is so good. So many little truth bombs that you mentioned there. Another thing is, you know, we talk a lot about CliftonStrengths on this podcast, and that assessment can give you the words that will really resonate with the specific person.
If you're a manager of a team and you've got your CliftonStrengths reports of the people that you lead, go pull out words and phrases from that individual's report. It will tell you what they want to hear. It will tell you what they value. It will tell you where their strengths lie. And they want to be appreciated for that. They want to be recognized for that. So you don't have to come up with the words on your own. You've got that tool at your disposal.
Lisa: Yeah. I mean, seriously, if you're the person who says, good job, buddy, and you want some specific words, when you look at it, you'll see the difference between somebody who leads through analytical, and you can say, wow, you really cut through all of the noise we've been faced with all this complexity, we couldn't get to the real answers, and you gave us the actual leading indicators to make some business decisions that change the course of our business in the last two quarters.
Wow, that would be really meaningful to somebody who leads through analytical. But if you lead, have somebody lead, yeah, but if you lead through empathy and then you said something completely different, like, ooh, you caught that moment in the room when Jim was not having it, but we were all about to conclude the meeting, assume everyone was off to do the work, but you stopped and said, Jim, where are you on this? Because you saw it and no one else caught it.
That kind of recognition goes a long way because it makes them want to use their talents. And those two examples are on a different planet from each other.
Brea: Totally. This is making me think of how often as managers and leaders, we give what we have and we treat other people the way that we want to be treated. So we're leading from our strengths. And this can be a little challenging when it comes to appreciation and recognition, because that's just my language. So I recognize it easily when it happens. I appreciate it when it happens. So it's easy for me to appreciate that in others. but I don't lead with empathy. Let's imagine empathy is at the bottom.
The people on your team with empathy are not ever going to hear those types of recognition and appreciation come from you unless you're intentional about it, unless you learn their language, and unless you're intentional about looking for those types of things. It's just not naturally going to come from you if it's not in your talents.
So that's another place that having the language from the assessment is super helpful to understand where it's easy for you to appreciate, recognize, and give that to others, and where it's not. And to know that even if it's not natural for you, there is still hope. You know, you have this tool that can help you to make sure that everyone is included in being recognized and appreciated for what they bring.
Lisa: Yes, absolutely. And this reminds me of something that you said in a conversation we had earlier. where you said, this is all about platinum rule. It's not about treating them the way I want to be treated. It's treating them the way that they want to be treated. And that extra step of me trying to think of their strengths, their motivators. their preferences, watching their eyes shine and repeating things in that area. That took effort on my part to care about them and who they are and what they bring.
So it means that much more if you can recognize them for how they want to be treated, not for how you want to be treated.
Brea: Yeah, it's interesting and a little fascinating to me that the idea of the golden rule, the idea of treating others as we want to be treated, is kind of already a stretch for a lot of people, you know, because there's just so much negativity in the world and the temptation is always to be focused on what's wrong, where do we need to fix something, what's broken, how can we make this better, and our brains have just kind of been trained in that way.
You know, as we've grown, being kids in school, when we brought home the report card, the attention was on where we were lacking, you know? It wasn't praising the A's and the A pluses and the B's. It was: where are you struggling + let's fix the problem. And so just this idea of looking for what's good in people, looking for what they did well, And taking a moment to recognize that is a strengths-based approach.
It's actually not only countercultural, but I think it's just kind of counter to the way that our negativity bias naturally works, you know, in our brains. And so we have to be intentional about this. What I mean by have to is we have to do it because it's not natural for us. So we have to be intentional. And also, we have to do this because people need it. I think it's a responsibility that we have to really shine the light on what is strong and what is working. And the irony of it all is that when we do that, when we appreciate what's working and recognize what's working and celebrate it, then we get more of it. Right. Because people feel valued. They feel appreciated. They feel wanted. They feel like they make a difference. And so they want to keep doing more of that. So your numbers will follow. Yes.
Lisa: The numbers do follow. Yeah. And I like it because you're being like the you're being the appreciation hype girl. in a great way. And for those who are, yeah, you know, those who are like, yeah, this is the right thing to do, or this is what a leader would do.
Some people are going to be totally motivated by it. And I can also see the people in our workshops who fold their arms, take a deep breath and say, that all sounds like a great rainbow land. We're all really busy and I don't have time to be giving everybody a trophy for just showing up and doing their job. And I will say, if you were the arm folder as you were listening to Brea, by the end, you caught her talking about how this does come around and serve. profitability, productivity. We have real metrics from strengths research.
There's a book called Profit from the Positive, and she had a stat in there on managers giving frequent recognition and genuine encouragement, seeing a 40% increase in productivity. So, I just say, I encourage you, if you find yourself in the arm folding phase, because many of us find ourselves in and out of moments like that where you're like, I'm just too busy. I cannot pull my head up and start thinking about how people need praise from me.
I feel like leaders experience that often where you are in a frazzled place and it feels difficult. to pull yourself out to do it. But this is a motivating metric to show that it is worth doing it. So you can't afford to be the arm folder. You can't afford to be the one saying you are too busy to do this. The team needs it.
Brea: So your numbers will follow. There's a stat that comes from the Business News Daily. They say that more than 80 percent of employees say they're motivated to work harder. when their boss shows appreciation for their work. More than 80% of people are motivated to work harder. Your numbers will follow. And it's not hard to do this.
And like you said, it doesn't even have to cost a lot of money. You can change your culture by just starting to appreciate and recognize specifically. Look for the specifics and look for what's good. And I think if you can focus on both of those things, you will see the change. And it can be immediate. And it can be dramatic. It can really transform. Absolutely.
Lisa: And there are people who are listening who are not managers. There are also people who don't work in a corporate environment, and they might even be saying some of this applies to me and some of this doesn't. This matters for peers. This matters for you out in the world, just out in your life. If you take this on as something you're set out to do, I'm going to appreciate small things that people do for me in my regular life. We all have the power to do this.
If you want to have a culture like that, that you work in, be part of creating that culture. There might even be a few listeners who are like, oh, my manager needs to hear this episode. But if you catch yourself… Send it to him. Share it with him. Yeah, sure. Definitely. Always share. Five star review. Share the episode. But also be the change you want to see. Start doing this recognition yourself.
Brea: Oh, I love it. I love it. I'm inspired listening to you. It makes me think of how this breeds trust. It's not just a rainbows in the sky mentality. It's when you start to appreciate people, when you start to shine a spotlight on what other people are doing, you're building bonds, you're establishing trust, and it's breeding a culture of collaboration, whether it's in the workplace or in your families.
There's this story from the Five Love Languages book by Gary Chapman that's like a million years old, but it's such a Such a good story. He was a psychologist and he was counseling a married couple and there was this room in their house that needed to be painted. And it was the husband's job to paint it. And the wife was getting so frustrated. Just, you know, week after week goes by and he's not getting this done. And so she's nagging. And so obviously there's conflict.
So they're talking to Dr. Chapman and he says, look, what I want you to do, he says this to the wife, what I want you to do is ignore it. Don't talk about it at all. Don't bring it up one more time. And of course, you know, she's like, what? Like, no, I can't do that, you know? And he's like, just trust the process, right? And he says, what I want you to do instead is every time you see your husband do something helpful or something nice or something kind, I want you to praise it. I want you to recognize it out loud and say thank you.
And she's like, oh my gosh, this is never gonna work. And he was like, just trust me. They came back the very next week and the room had been painted. And I think that's so telling of just how we just want to be seen. We just want to be heard. We just want to be understood. We want to be valued. We want to be wanted. We want to feel safe. We want to know that we're good enough. And when there's so much negativity around us, intentional or not, it's so easy to just go to the negative places in our mind, you know, the negative self-talk, to put ourselves down, to believe the lies.
And that's so easy to do. That happens so fast because there are so many voices out there in the world telling us we're not enough or that we're not good enough. And we have to be the light. We have to speak the truth over people that we're good. You are good enough. So I think that's such a beautiful story to illustrate how it's something you do and it's something you don't do, right? By not nagging, by not focusing on the thing that- The lack. The lack, yeah. And focusing on all the good things that are happening, it really inspires people to want to do more good.
Lisa: Yeah. You sparked for me a thought about another version of that book. There's a workplace version of it. I can't remember how the title goes. Yeah. It's called Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. Okay. Appreciation. Well, how apropos for this episode title. Yeah. Okay. So when I read that, I was like, oh my gosh, there's a thing on high fives. I am 100% a hugs and high fives person. I love them. You could say zero words to me, just high five me for something or fist bump me for something. And I am getting a positive jolt out of it that is so great. I didn't express that to anyone.
No one around me would know it. I just got excited if somebody put their hand up. I'm not sure why I never made a thing out of it. But after I read that book, I so freely offer them. When I was a leader, I would create these intake forms when I had a new hire, and I would just ask them questions on their first week. You could do it at any time, but I think first week really goes well. little things.
For example: what's your favorite thing under $5 that you buy once a month? I just came up with these little quirky questions. I think it was, tell me about your favorite way you've ever been praised for something. Tell me about the best recognition you've ever received. Just a little different way of asking the same question a few times, but also about things like, what's your favorite drink? What's your favorite this, that?
I remember once I gave a person a six-pack of Diet Dr. Pepper because it was his favorite drink and he had a busy week and it was kind of like, here's the go juice, you've been crushing it. It was just silly but it was also an acknowledgement of what he was putting in and he lost his mind over it.
Brea: It's amazing. It's amazing how big of an impact that can have and if you're sitting there thinking, oh well it's not the same if you've filled out a form and you've told them, you know, it's like It kind of takes the magic out of it. It's amazing how many people forget that they give you that information.
Lisa: They forget every time.
Brea: Every time. Every time. So they're like, oh my gosh, how did you know? And the thing that I think all of this comes back to is that innate desire for us to be seen, for us to be known as humans. It's just such a foundational core need. And a six pack of Diet Dr. Pepper, that's your favorite drink, like showing up at your desk, is a way that you feel seen, you know? And so that's beautiful. I love it, Lisa. Will you be my manager? That's amazing.
Lisa: Yes, that would be amazing. Okay. Well, you know someone else is listening and they're like, Brea, will you be my manager? Brea, will you be my recognition coach? Help me appreciate my people. So tell them a tip or a way to work with you or something that would be valuable along the lines of appreciation and recognition and working with you.
Brea: Yeah. Well, if you’ve ever wondered what we mean when I say I’m the strengths hype girl. I mean, this is it. I love using the language CliftonStrengths gives us to better understand what’s good about you and your people. So, if that’s something you’re looking for, just find me on the website. It’s brearoper.com. We’ll hop on a call and co-design a solution that makes most sense for you.
Lisa: Totally. And I challenge anyone listening who has a team member, like a direct report that is really frustrating you and you're having a tough time thinking of anything you could appreciate them for, get with Brea. She can hype anyone. She will find something amazing and valuable that you will genuinely agree with because you will be the one who comes up with it. But you won't believe how great she is at bringing this up.
Brea:
Thanks, Lisa. Yeah, my woo is ready. Bring it on. Yes.
Lisa: I think this episode, I am just going to leave them with a resource. So one of our freebies on the website, LeadThroughStrengths.com slash Recognition, is 127 Ways to Recognize. And we always talk about how great managers notice what works. And this gives you ways to go beyond, good job, buddy, and get into some other specific ways. Some are silly and kitschy. I will warn you, I was a little bit of a goober in a few of the examples.
But then there are also really serious ones and even formulas for those of you who are like, Just help me formulate this in a sentence, in an email, so I can put it together, but also be genuine with it. So it's 127 different ways to recognize people. Leadthroughstrengths.com slash recognition.
Brea:
Yeah, and I'll also put a link to that book that Lisa mentioned, Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, because that's another great resource as well.
Lisa:
Excellent. Okay, well, Brea, you should bring us home because you've got your phrases on this one.
Brea:
When you know better, you feel better. And when you feel better, you do better. So if what you want is your people to do better, then you need to help them feel better. And the best way to do that is to know and understand how they feel appreciated, how they want to be recognized. If you can know that, you can help them feel better. And when they feel better, they will do better. And then the world will be a better place.
Lisa:
See, we are solving world peace. We're making people, I mean, it's free. It didn't cost any money to do it. It just requires a little extra thought. Beautiful.
Brea:
And a little bit of sparkle fairy dust.
Lisa:
Brea's fairy dust.
Brea:
People are going to be like, I'm done with this podcast. This girl needs to be gone.
Lisa:
Away with your fairy dust, Brea. I am not walking around with my dust. And it's like, yep, Brea can be kind of like the Tinkerbell flying over your shoulder. So you don't have to do the actual dust.
Brea:
Oh my gosh, we have got to get out of here. See you guys next week.
“Remember, hard work doesn’t have to feel hard. Aligned with your strengths, it actually feels easy, energizing, and fun!”
MEET YOUR CO-HOSTS
BREA ROPER
Communication | Woo | Activator | Futuristic | Connectedness
If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today!
LISA CUMMINGS
Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo
To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.
The Fine Print: This podcast is not sanctioned or endorsed by Gallup in any way. Opinions, views and interpretations of CliftonStrengths© are solely the beliefs of Lisa Cummings and Brea Roper.