The best reward for employees from their leader is Appreciation
Summary: A leadership focused on expressing gratitude and appreciation towards the employees who truly deserve that recognition will keep both the leaders and the employees happy and satisfied.
Appreciation is sometimes the basic essence of human existence. Your workplace is a great place to test out this theory, when employees, or your colleagues for the matter, are underappreciated, they will soon realise their worth and find a place where they are appreciated and valued for their efforts. As a leader, you can be one of those places, too, let’s see how.
Once when I was still a newbie in my field, I had a manager who used to be very warm and kind. He is one of those who will make you think, how can a person so sweet work at such a high-pressure job. It was almost 8 months since I had started working under him. On New year’s eve, I received a very sweet message from him. The personal message stated my top three strengths according to him, why he thinks I am unique and how I should continue the way I am while growing in my own space. I felt very special. When I went to work the next day, I happened to mention about my manager to my colleague and apparently, he also received a very similar message like that, but just personal and about his strengths. So then we realised he had sent those messages to all his employees. He become one of those leaders who take the time to appreciate everyone personally. He is one of those who sees the values in people and acknowledges them.
Leaders understanding their employees and showing genuine appreciation is one of the most ordinary things to ask for, but the most special one to have.
Here are three ways you can appreciate your employees better
Acknowledge and Recognise
Your employees are working hard, they are under your mentorship. Once you have clearly stated your expectations, it’s your turn to wait and watch them.Your acknowledgement matters a lot to your employees because you are the person who is going to judge their work; acknowledging that the project was challenging and needed of out-of-the-box ideas, is not something which you should be ashamed of. Recognise when they do good work and make it a point that you bring it up, and they know you know what they did was a good job. Be sure to say it aloud that they did a good job. Appreciation is the key human factor,
Hand them meaningful responsibilities
Diamonds are made in various circumstances, usually consisting of high-pressure environments and dug from dirt. Many employees contain the potential to impress you and themselves. When you give them challenging and vital tasks, they will perform great under the right mentorship. Once you deliver your advice, it is their time to shine. Recognising that your employees can achieve something great is a big deal. This way of appreciating your team is going to be beneficial in the long run as well.
Appreciate them in public
Make it a point that others know how proud you are that your employees have achieved something. When you praise them in public, they realise that they see your true potential, and you understand their strengths and weaknesses. It becomes a more meaningful success for them when their mentor acknowledges them, recognises the challenges and when the leader appreciates them for the job.
Impact on Leadership
A study shows that practising gratitude for someone in a managerial position carries a lot of value and that gratitude is necessary to form meaningful relationships with themselves and others. It is necessary to feel gratitude towards your employees to understand how to see an employee’s true potential. As a leader, when you create an environment which is meant to appreciate the small things in daily life, your leadership changes to a more humane nature.
Do you still want to struggle to find that warm environment in your workspace?
Do you believe you can see the true potential in your employees and appreciate them every day for it?
3 Immediately Applicable Action Steps
- Use post-it notes to write small thank you notes for your staff in the morning. Surprise them. They will remember the deed.
- Give them an afternoon off or leave them early if the load of work is less.
- If you don’t already have it, start an employee of the month award with perks like free, easy parking.
References
- Disney, D. (2019, November 27). Good Leaders APPRECIATE Their Staff. Linkedin. Retrieved 2019, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/good-leaders-appreciate-staff-daniel-disney/
- Lutz Allen, S., Smith, J. E., & da Silva, N. (2013). Leadership Style in Relation to Organizational Change and Organizational Creativity: Perceptions from Nonprofit Organizational Members. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 24(1), 23–42. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21078
- Panel, E. (2020, December 29). Eight Ways Employees Can Show Their Appreciation To Great Leaders. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/
2021/12/30/eight-ways-employees-can-show-their-appreciation-to-great-leaders/?sh=287b3d443564
Authored by Coach Vikram
Vikram is an Executive Presence Coach who supports CXOs and senior leaders to make an impact, influence, and lead with ease. He advises C-level leaders and teams to strengthen business performance through their executive presence and star leadership.
Vikram works closely with Boards and senior leaders to align leadership needs with strategy. His forte is his ability to develop trusted partnerships with senior leaders at some of the most recognized companies in the world. Vikram coaches senior leaders to draw upon their best selves, while growing their business and their leadership capabilities.
Vikram and his team have developed a groundbreaking model of executive presence and an Executive Presence Index (EPI) Assessment, the first frequency based, scientifically validated tool to measure executive presence.
Connect with him if you want practical and immediately applicable strategies to accelerate results, develop your people, and influence others to make a positive difference in your organization.
