At the 2019 Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon, featured keynote speaker Galen Emanuele delivered an interactive address that resonated with so many. Galen continues to #CultureDrop every Tuesday, providing tools to advance leadership skills, team culture, and personal growth. In partnership with Galen, we’re excited to share a few of his articles and we hope you will sign up to get great content delivered directly to your inbox.
Something we don’t talk about enough: Praise is currency.
And guess what? It’s free to generate.
You have an unlimited stock of it, so appreciate people and praise them. You have to acknowledge people for their good work and value they bring to your team.
A question that’s come up a number of times in different workshops with teams is “How do I get my boss to acknowledge my hard work or give me praise?”
This question brings to light that in some (maybe many) workplaces. it’s uncommon for leaders to make an effort to make sure their employees feel seen and appreciated. Plain and simple, it sucks to work somewhere that you don’t feel appreciated for the effort, energy, and hard work you contribute at your job.
Do not undervalue the currency of praise.
“You did a great job!” “You’re crushing it here!” — these take a few seconds to say, but the impact of them can be long lasting to the ears they fall on.
In a 2021 study by Achievers Workforce Institute, one of the top reasons that respondents gave for staying at their current job was recognition. Being generous with praise as a leader has nothing to do with being fake or corny, and everything to do with communicating to employees that they are seen and appreciated for what they do. This is so incredibly valuable and simple.
You don’t have to be disingenuous or insincere, but make sure you are thanking people for the way they show up. The impact that praise has on someone and how they feel about their job is significant, which in turns impacts how they perform and how long they might stay.
There’s a lot of folks with tough jobs out there.
And it can be really tiring to feel like you’re unseen. Sometimes, the mundane tasks other people overlook or might not view as important are the ones people enjoy the most, but don’t receive any praise for. Notice the small things and thank your people for what they do.
When people feel acknowledged and valued, they’re much more likely to also feel excited, engaged, and seen — who doesn’t want to feel like that? And it’s totally free to do.
Tell people how they make a difference, that you see them, and that you appreciate them. Also applies to friends, in relationships, and other humans in general. Tap into the currency of praising other human beings, and spend, spend, spend.
– Galen Emanuele
