20 REAL-LEADERS.COM / SPRING 2022 MINDFULNESS WHAT EVERY TEAM WANTS TO HEAR FROM ITS LEADER By Joel Schwartzberg To give your appreciation rich meaning and value, it must answer the question, “Why is this person deserving of thanks?” Answering this question credits the achievement and the level of commitment, ingenuity, and hard work. Also, make sure your appreciation is specific, timely, and unique to the person you’re acknowledging. You’ll get extra appreciation points for including a true story or example that illustrates the effort’s value. The more details you provide, the more meaningful your appreciation will be. Here’s an example. Note the progression of impact as a leader recognizes “Sam” and includes more telling details: “My thanks to Sam, who delivered a presentation last week.” Translation: “I understand Sam completed a task.” “My thanks to Sam, who delivered a great presentation last week.” Translation: “I noticed Sam did a good job.” “My thanks to Sam, whose presentation on inventory innovations last week was powerful and had good ideas.” Translation: “I paid attention to Sam’s presentation. He did a good job, and his effort can have value for the team.” “My thanks to Sam, whose presentation on inventory innovations last IF THERE’S ONE THING EVERY TEAM wants to hear from a leader in every communication, it’s gratitude. In addition to boosting your team’s morale and motivation, public recognition reinforces that you’re paying attention to — and are in full support of — their endeavors. Even minor expressions of gratitude can have a meaningful impact. In an article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers Francesca Gino and Adam M. Grant revealed that simple expressions of gratitude “increase prosocial behavior by enabling individuals to feel socially valued.” Now, for those of you who don’t read the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology religiously as I do, prosocial behavior is behavior connected to positivity, helpfulness, and an intention to advance social acceptance and collegiality — the kind of behavior leaders want to foster. But while you have more than 170,000 English words to choose from to create a nifty complement, not all word combinations and phrases have the same impact. In fact, just the words “thank you” convey little meaningful impact. They register as polite but not substantially praising. Here’s what you should do instead. 1 SUPPLY THE “WHY” week demonstrated how much time and energy we can save if we think as creatively as he did.” Translation: “Sam got my attention with his presentation. He impressed me with his points about innovation, and I think we can all learn from them.” Another element that makes the last version especially compelling: the elimination of adjectives. When you banish adjectives, you force yourself to use more meaningful and specific words. Yes, giving meaningful, contextual thanks takes considerably more time and energy than simply saying or emailing the word “thanks,” but when you see it as a valuable opportunity to reward and inspire, the return on your investment is clear.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjY3Mjcw