How to Praise and Acknowledge like a Pro
A sure-fire way to
engage and inspire your team
Sir Richard Branson has said that a leader needs to a great listener and a great motivator, likening people to flowers that flourish when praised. Simon Sinek also emphasises the role of leaders in recognising others, stressing that leaders look for others to recognise rather than looking for recognition themselves.
In today’s context where many people are experiencing high levels of stress and report feeling overwhelmed, genuine recognition and acknowledgement can sow seeds of motivation and inspiration shifting people beyond mental exhaustion to feeling connected and engaged.
Magda Mook in her recent article for HBR “Good leaders acknowledge their employees often”, reminds us that this practice can be very simple and inexpensive when real, specific and well deserved. It plugs in to a human need to be seen, to be connected and to be in real relationships. It enables individuals and teams to feel part of a bigger purpose and mission and thereby be an antidote to isolation that can easily creep into our virtual working world where physical connection and engagements have been mostly replaced by virtual ways of working.
As a leader reading this you probably know this already, but the question is how frequently do you practice praising your people for the good work they are doing? And what have you noticed when you do?
If you are like other leaders, chances are you may think you are above average at giving recognition. What is interesting is that research shows there is a definite “perception gap” between leaders’ views of their competence in this area versus (67% rate themselves above average) and their employees’ assessments (only 23% agree), see Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton (2020) book “Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results ”
The challenge for leaders seems to lie less with being convinced that this is a good idea and more with practicing it consistently, genuinely and in their own authentic style. They know to do it but often ask how to do it in a way that is genuine, specific and frequent enough to be meaningful. Some trip themselves up by fearing that if they overpraise this may lower standards and have people taking it easier. Research shows this fear is unfounded. Frequent recognition and acknowledgement increase motivation and engagement, especially if it is specifically linked to an action. 92% of employees report they would repeat the behaviour that is recognised.
To improve in this area, read on for a few quick tips and ideas from my clients who have successfully improved in this area.
Quick tips:
Do a critical and honest self-assessment; and ask your team for feedback.
Use the acronym RISE to help you:
• Regular (at least once a week – get into a routine where you deliberately practice thinking about your team members).
• Immediate (as close to the behaviour or outcome as possible).
• Specific (rather than generic and make it individually meaningful to the person).
• Encouraging (set the tone for a culture of recognition where peers recognise each other too).
Source: www.achievers.com
Ideas from my clients:
Slow down, pay more attention to the person and what they bring that is different unique and highly valued.
Step back and ask yourself what about the behaviour you want to recognise is valued and how does it align with the culture you are trying to create in your team enabling you to be specific and genuine.
Examine your own beliefs and assumptions about what constitutes praiseworthy. This requires getting outside of your own standards and self-expectations and tuning into the person, their role, where they are in their career and what has been done well.
Connected to this: notice if you are missing some obvious opportunities for recognition because you discount what comes easily to you as not something noteworthy.
Beware of using praise and recognition as a ploy or manipulation tactic. Most of us have a radar for disingenuous and self-serving praise.
With intention and focus, you can build this into a leadership practice that will have your team feel valued, acknowledged and connected and may go a long way to addressing some of the yearnings we all have for meaningful connections in our increasingly remote working world. By setting the tone for a culture where appreciation and recognition are the way of doing things, you will go a long way to aiding others to feel a sense of meaning and belonging so needed in our challenging times.