Leadership – The Power of Recognition
“Be so busy giving Recognition that you don’t need any for yourself!” – Jim Rohn
Recognition is one of the most powerful forces in the world of business. When thinking of leadership, it is a must have weapon in your arsenal. Coming in various forms, recognition may be described as reward, attention, acknowledgement, appreciation, gratitude and thanks. People will almost always work harder for recognition than they work for money; if your people work harder for money than they do for recognition, you either have a huge leadership problem, or even worse, the wrong quality people!
As often is the case, Jim Rohn stated it the best. “Be so busy giving Recognition”, showing the greatness in the team, shining the spotlight on their achievements large and small, “that you don’t need any for yourself!” One of the greatest weaknesses of poor leadership is craving the spotlight. The lack of humility is terrible for morale. Giving the spotlight, and the credit, for achievements to the team not only makes them feel special, but strengthens the relationship and trust between leadership and the team. They will feel more valued, have improved morale, and will be willing to give extra effort to have that recognition once again. Also, as a leader, when you commit to finding reasons to recognize your team, you will notice more of the positives, have more confidence and trust in their abilities, and it will make your job of helping them get what they want much easier!
Recognition can be as simple as making people feel special. Decades ago Dale Carnegie in is classic book How to Win Friends and Influence people taught us to make people feel special. Nearly 100 years later, these lessons are more more important today than ever. As technology replaces personal interaction, and our workplace becomes more and more digital, people are craving simple human approval. It does not have to be a grand gesture, or an expensive reward, but a simple, genuine “Good Morning”, remembering someone’s name, a simple compliment, or mentioning an achievement of their spouse or children, is all it takes. A smile goes a long way! Leadership is not always about business – more often than not, it’s about people.
Recently I had a conversation regarding recognition with some colleagues in an organization with below average morale. Responses of “people are treated poorly everywhere so why should this be any different”, “we are supposed to do good work so why recognize it” or “it’s always been this way” reflected the level of apathy of those involved. The organization would expend great energy and resources to determine blame and reprimand mistakes, but never any recognition for a job well done. I was sad to see so many talented people in a group, none of which had any ambition to achieve more, as they already knew there was no recognition to be had for the effort. The lack of recognition was a leadership issue. The lack of recognition was hurting the organization!
As a leader, you have many tools at your disposal. One of the most powerful, inexpensive, and easiest to use, is recognition. Wherever you are in your leadership journey, no matter the organization, regardless of industry, you can implement recognition today. It can start small, with a “nice work today”, and from there the sky is the limit. It doesn’t take much, but you need to start. And the best part, and the hidden gem, is that when you recognize people, make them feel special and appreciated, those good feelings come back to you tenfold!!
Hope this helped. If you know of anyone who would find this valuable, please share, and if you found value, Like and Comment below. If you have any questions, or there is anything I can help with as you pursue your Lifestyle and Leadership journey, feel free to reach out below, or email me at mike@mikehisem.com.
Until next time,
Mike Hisem
I don’t guarantee everyone success, but I guarantee everyone a shot!
