Building Up Those Around Us
“Praise and encouragement are the two essential elements of motivating any person to fulfil their potential, to improve or to tackle change.” — Dale Carnegie
“Thank you so much for the organisation of this amazing assembly. As always, you thought of every detail. We are so lucky to have you at our school,” I said, as she walked away with her class from the hall. I hoped she felt valued and an integral member of our team. I knew she was an asset in our organisation and I really wanted her to know it. Expressing appreciation to her on the spot was the best way to convey that message. William James, American psychologist and philosopher said, “The deepest principle of human nature is a craving to be appreciated.” Research suggests that employees who feel appreciated are more productive, feel greater levels of job satisfaction and engagement, resulting in higher staff retention rates.
“Knowing our efforts have been noticed, recognised and appreciated certainly makes the work we do feel worthwhile.”
We Know how it Feels to Receive Praise & Appreciation
When we receive praise it gives us the motivation to keep on going better than before. It is a clear message that others have noticed what we do and that it makes a difference. That wonderful feeling that we’re being valued for what we do gives us a spring in our step and encourages us to do more of the same thing, and better!
Without a doubt, praise and appreciation impacts people in a positive way. Fostering a culture of appreciation boosts morale and inspires employees to go that extra mile. As a leader, genuinely praising people is a simple yet powerful strategy that you want to master.
According to Stone & Heen (2015), appreciation is fundamentally about relationship and human connection. At a literal level it says, “Thanks.” But appreciation also conveys, “I see you,” “I know how hard you’ve been working,” and, “You matter to me.” They go on to say that when people complain that they don’t get enough feedback at work, they often mean that they wonder whether anyone notices or cares how hard they’re working. They need appreciation.
Why Praise & Appreciate?
- It gives people a sense of belonging in their place of work.
- It lets someone know that their work is valued and appreciated.
- It increases motivation.
- It enhances loyalty.
- It helps build a supportive work environment.
- It encourages people to go above and beyond what is expected of them. It propels them to do more of the same thing.
The ‘Appreciation At Work’ team, led by Paul White, analysed responses of over 55,000 employees who took the Motivating By Appreciating Inventory. What they found was that both older and younger generations valued Words of Appreciation and Quality Time the most and Tangible Gifts the least. The biggest difference appeared not in the type of appreciation they favoured, but HOW they preferred the language of appreciation to be shown. “The one thing that is foundational for successfully conveying appreciation in the workplace is to communicate in the appreciation language that is desired by each individual” (White, 2018).
In Chapman and White’s book, ‘The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace,’ (2019) Words of Affirmation is one of the five languages. They explain that one way to express Words of Affirmation is to verbally praise the person for an achievement. The more you can catch a staff member doing a task in the way that you want and call attention to that task or behaviour, the more likely the behaviour is going to occur again. An example might sound like this: “I like the way you answered that parent this morning. You were direct, but it was delivered in a warm and friendly manner.” Global praise such as, ‘good job,’ could be said to anyone. If praise is to be effective, it must be specific. Affirming people for their character, such traits as patience, kindness or perseverance, should also be valued. “Character looks beyond performance and focuses on the inner nature of a person” (Chapman & White). Observe your team and note when they show strength of character. You might say, “Lisa, I really appreciate that you are a person of integrity. I can trust you to deal honestly with our parents.”
Because of the electronic world that we live in, text or email is now the most common way to communicate appreciation to someone. A text of genuine thanks at the end of a long day can mean a lot to people. It says, “I noticed what you did and I value you.” A note written in hand can also be of value because it is personal and it shows that you have taken the time to sit down and write it.
Be Sincere, Be Truthful, Be Specific
Here are some tips for praising & appreciating:
- Deliver praise from the heart. Be sincere. It needs to be received as authentic by the recipient.
- Deliver praise as soon as possible. Seize the opportunity to amplify the joy.
- Make praise specific. A simple thank you is not praise, it is politeness. People need to know exactly what you valued in their effort.
- Recognise the little things, as these are often the acts that make the workplace function effectively.
- For recognition and appreciation to be valuable, it needs to be regular.
- Praise is most effective when it is about someone personally.
Get Creative!
Praise and appreciation can be delivered in many ways. Popping some words of appreciation on a card or via an email is great but get a little creative!
Here are three examples of delivering praise in creative ways: The Humble Post-It Note: A couple of years ago on Support Staff day, our leadership team wrote a positive messages of thanks/ kindness/gratitude for each of our 5 support staff members on post-it notes. Early one morning, we plastered the notes all over the bathroom mirror, knowing that each of them would see them throughout the day. It was such a pleasure to hear their gasps of surprise as they went in to read the special messages about themselves. They got to take home at least half a dozen post it notes of praise specifically about them.
An Appreciation Box: We have a shoe box sized container called the ‘Appreciation Box’ in our staffroom with a blank
pad beside it. We write notes of appreciation for our staff throughout the week. Anyone can write one and anyone can receive one. They are read out on a Friday morning tea with lots of claps and cheers.
Strength Cards: My favourite pack of strength cards is by The Langley Group. Colourful and beautifully illustrated, these can be used in a number of ways. One of my favourite uses for them is to photograph one strength such as kindness, and email it to a staff member saying that I spotted them using that strength that day and how much we appreciate them. The emails that come back are heart warming.
So, how will you apply the power of praise and appreciation to strengthen your team today?
