I recently had a moment with my son. He had completed a chore that I asked him to do, and I praised him with two simple words: Well done. These two words had such a great impact on him. Or, should I rather say, that it wasn’t the words but more the fact that I had NOTICED what he had done. That chore doesn’t seem like a chore anymore since he now does it out of his own will. What a win!
In that moment, I realised how powerful our words are. A simple word can build someone up or break them down. A single phrase can encourage hard work, or it can induce lethargy and rebellion. This got me thinking about how much more productive business could be if we would simply recognize the things our employees do.
Great leaders celebrate other people’s ideas even more than their own and do it in a way that is real and from the heart. When expressed in the right way, giving recognition feeds people’s souls and makes them feel great about themselves and the work they do.
Recognition can happen in a number of ways: you could do it in the form of raises or weekly/monthly plaques or certificates. However, you choose to do it, I think it is important to make it personal to you and to the person receiving the recognition.
Recognition is too often overlooked as a key success factor in business. In simply showing your employees how much they are appreciated, and recognising their great work and ideas, you can single-handedly create an energised work environment. You can create a workplace environment that encourages hard work, high productivity, integrity and a lot of innovative ideas.
Creating a culture of recognition and encouragement is imperative if you want to build a brand that is well-liked and a company that attracts high-quality employees.
