Authentic Appreciation

Tuesday March 7, 2017 #868

“People leave when they don’t feel appreciated. That’s why we’ve made recognition a really high value. Our business is people-capability first; then you satisfy customers; then you make money.” 

~David Novak

If you are in a position of leadership and want to drive long term success for both your organization and yourself, the most effective investment you can make is to practice authentic appreciation.  Before executing strategies on customer engagement and maximizing profits you must first have an engaged and capable workforce.  Without a high level of critical thinking and execution excellence, the business imperatives will be marginalized.

Whether or not you have the best possible people in each role, today your team is your team.  Your job as leader is to inspire and motivate them and provide them the tools they need to succeed or the means to secure them.  And the best place to start is by demonstrating your authentic appreciation for what they bring to the business and achieve today.

Most leaders focus on what is lacking and on pointing out gaps and failures.  While it is important to ensure awareness of opportunities, you get there faster by noticing what is right and expressing why it is right and encouraging more.  Your people are better and more capable that you can ever imagine, and actually far more likely to spot opportunities that you.  Start by recognizing the good and let your team thrive.