E-couragement: Appreciation: It’s Not Limited to Your Home Value
“There are two things people want more than sex and money…recognition and praise. “ Mary Kay Ash In today’s housing market, there’s a word people are hearing less and less—appreciation. Appreciation is an age-old concept that allows for a real estate purchase to grow into a long-term financial success. It intrigues me how this fundamental principle, embraced when dealing with property, is often overlooked and under-utilized when it comes to leading people. Leaders who add value to their employees through genuine praise and appreciation are securing their own long-term growth and success. The “housing market bust” has garnered its fair share of media attention. It’s time for engaging leaders to give equal notice to the larger and more catastrophic “people bust” taking place within our own organizations.
Sixty-five percent of Americans received no praise or appreciation in their workplace a recent Gallup poll reported. Yet, the US Department of Labor notes the number-one reason people leave organizations is because they don’t feel appreciated. Another Gallup study of nearly 5 million employees reveals that increased occurrences of recognition and praise in the workplace can lead to lower turnover, higher customer satisfaction scores, and increased productivity.
Several years back, I was in the health and wellness business. We were building a new family wellness center, complete with a nutritionally-focused restaurant/bistro. We wanted a registered dietitian to help get our food service off the ground and we were lucky to find Nikki to fill that role.
Nikki worked hard. I watched her hire the food service staff, open the bistro, close it down, make sandwiches, order food, and take the trash out to the dumpster late at night. Before leaving for the evening, I would often leave Nikki a voicemail. I’d tell her how much I appreciated her commitment and dedication to our organization and particularly the bistro. I mentioned how I had observed her taking out the trash or spending the extra time required to properly train her staff.
After some time, Nikki received a professional offer she couldn’t refuse. She wisely said yes. The morning after her going-away party, I was checking voicemails and noticed that one was from Nikki. When I heard her voice, I immediately thought, Uh oh! She left this message on her way out…after her final day. This could be her chance to vent any frustrations she might have encountered while working with me.
Bracing myself for potential criticism, this is what I heard. “Rich, before I go, I want to give you some advice. Don’t ever stop the encouraging voicemails. They mean the world to all of us who have received them. Please keep them going after I’m gone. Good luck!” Wow. At that very moment the power of praise and appreciation was made crystal clear to me. It hadn’t cost me a dime—yet it left a lasting mark on the people I led.
Although you can provide the power of praise and recognition for someone in 10 to 15 seconds, and it’s virtually free, most employees rarely receive this gift from their manager. Begin to provide this feedback to your employees when they do good work. Predetermine each day to find and recognize the unique abilities and talents in others. By taking the time to say you noticed and appreciate their efforts, those efforts—and the results they engender—will grow and flourish. Now that’s a good return on your investment.
Leave Your Comments: Recall a time when you received or gave genuine praise and appreciation, what impact did you experience?
