Do you give recognition to your team?

Anne was going through a challenging time at work. Due to restructuring, her workload had tripled in less than a month. She was stressed out, running at a hectic pace and doing her best to not drop any balls. It was tough and she was feeling the pressure. I had been seeing Anne at least once a week for the past three months to coach her through this transition. She was coping, but she wasn’t having any fun. And then suddenly when I saw her this week, everything was significantly different.  It was a revealing lesson of how to give recognition to your team.

Anne was in high spirits and full of smiles and I was fascinated to find out what had brought about this significant change. Anne explained that earlier in the day her boss had called the entire team together to verbally thank each and every team member personally for their contribution over the last few months. Her boss highlighted specific challenges that each one had faced during the restructuring process and gave them each a unique reward as well. It was the first time in three months that I had seen Anne in a positive and light mood. She was excited and happy.

Importance of recognition

It reminded me again of how incredibly important it is to be recognised where recognition is due. Anne’s workload had not suddenly changed in that single day. The same challenges and the same stresses were still there to be dealt with, but the personal recognition had instantaneously energised and refuelled her determination and motivation to continue to do a great job. Maybe even more so.

Do you realise how incredibly powerful a tool this is? The resulting impact will by far overshadow the time and monetary value invested in giving the recognition and the reward to each of those team members. In a single hour, that team has been completely transformed. It left me wondering why more organisations do not apply this more often.

If you are feeling undervalued the chances are that some of your colleagues are feeling the same way too. Why not put that little bit of extra focus into intentionally seeking opportunities to sincerely recognise and reward your team members for their contribution. We all need a bit of gratitude and encouragement every now and then. Give yours!  It might just change everything!

Image by Depositphotos

All businesses face continuous changes in the business environment. Long term business sustainability is directly linked to the ability to continuously improve and Adapt To Change. Along with globalization came increased competitiveness and in today’s economic circumstances one of the biggest pressures most businesses face, is financial pressure –the pressure to maintain or improve business results in the midst of increasing competitive forces. The downfall of many businesses lies in their attempt to address these pressures with strategies that proved successful in the past…in an environment that today no longer exists. The world is significantly different today and today flexibility and innovation are almost synonymous with business sustainability.

With more than 50 years of experience, the continuous improvement and supply chain experts at Adapt To Change are making businesses better! Adapt To Change is dedicated to transform, optimize and empower organizations and the individuals that work within them.