The Power of Acknowledgment

I was facilitating an on-site training for a business recently. Several times during the training the request was made by the employees, “for managers and leaders to acknowledge the positive.”

I have found this to be a common theme in most every business. Employees often feel like the only time they get attention is when they are doing something wrong instead of when they are doing things right.

This is why I intentionally choose to begin my leadership training's by having the owner acknowledge something that they sincerely appreciate about each of the leaders.

In one training in particular, I took this one step further. I encouraged each of the leaders to then share with their team something that they genuinely appreciated about each member of their team.

One of the leaders said, “You know it’s interesting… while I often thank my employees at the end of the day, I don’t thank them for anything in particular. I just say, “thank you.” I’ve realized the value and importance in truly acknowledging the specifics around what they have done that is worthy of acknowledgement.”

Think about a time when someone gave you a compliment (at work or in your personal life). Didn’t it feel great? Did you experience an immediate surge of energy and feel your spirits lift?

Acknowledgement is a gift to both the giver and receiver because both people end up feeling more energized as a result.

Here are 3 simple tips to powerfully acknowledge another person…

Start with a simple thank you.
Tell them specifically why you are acknowledging them. Share the details. Don’t just say, “thank you for doing a great job today.” Tell them exactly what they did that made you realize that they had done a great job.
Tell them how their actions impacted you or another person. For example, “I noticed how you took the time to give that customer your full attention today, even though you had lots of other things to do. I could tell that they left the store feeling heard and that you really made a difference for them. It made me feel excited to have someone like you on my team who really cares about our customers.”

I want to invite you to set the intention to acknowledge at least two people today (identify one person in your business and one person in your personal life).

Decide today that as a leader you are going to create a work culture and personal life that is filled with the power of positive acknowledgement!