We feel more motivated when our efforts are recognized. Having our positive steps acknowledged builds our confidence and helps us develop new skills.
Why Recognition is Important
A huge reason why recognition is important is that it helps to counter the constant barrage of negative feedback we get. It starts in childhood where our parents and teachers pay more attention to things that they want us to STOP doing than to the good things we do. People are too busy to notice the everyday good things we achieve.
Internalizing so much negative feedback has two damaging impacts:
- We overlook our own successes unless they are really outstanding
- We overly criticize ourselves for our mistakes that others would point out if they noticed
Meetings revolve around problems: things that have gone wrong, work not completed in time, low quality, conflict, poor communication, problems that need to be solved; the list is endless. Such constant negativity is a huge morale sapper. Occasional good news and major successes may get some notice but such positivity is sandwiched between a steady stream of critical feedback.
Employees fear performance reviews because they are so conditioned to expect negative feedback. They don’t expect more than token positive feedback in such meetings.
Why Recognition is Difficult
Here are some reasons why recognition is so under used:
- We are too busy to notice many of the good things people do
- There is little time to recognize small achievements
- It feels patronizing to be patting people on the back for little things
- We are quicker to notice what has gone wrong than what has worked well
- We get more negative feedback ourselves so we want to pass it on
- When we are criticized, it’s natural to look for a scapegoat to blame
A big problem is that we think recognition should be given on a spontaneous basis. Yes, it is nice to recognize good things as soon as they happen but this requirement falls victim to the challenges listed above. A better solution is organized recognition sessions. Here are three possibilities:
- At the start of regular team meetings
- As a part of formal performance reviews
- At special success celebration meetings
1 Regular Meetings
You could use the first 15 minutes of your regular team meetings to give everyone time to mention the top 3 things they have done that they are most pleased about or proud of since the last meeting. This has the advantage of being reasonably close to the positive action that was taken. It will take time to get this off the ground because people are so used to taking their successes for granted and seeing only their slipups.
2 Performance Reviews
Before conducting performance review meetings with your team members, ask them to come prepared to discuss 3 things: 1. Every success or partial achievement they are proud of since their last review. 2. Anything they felt could have gone better and 3. What steps they plan to take to avoid future setbacks such as the ones mentioned in their second list. This approach makes it easier for the boss than having to do most of the talking. Giving staff a chance to list their achievements gives them a formal opportunity to celebrate their successes. Further, the boss can add additional good things to the list. Asking team members to state what they have learned and plan to do differently is empowering; it’s also less threatening than being told by their boss what improvements they need to make.
3 Special Success Celebration Meetings
At least once a quarter, if not once a month, hold a short meeting, perhaps 30 minutes, to celebrate success. This approach has the advantage of not distracting from regular meetings or performance reviews and it can allow people a bit more time to explain their successes.
You may find that giving staff regular opportunities to highlight their achievements, even small ones, could motivate them to do more so that they will have more to talk about next time. You might find that your team members compete to see who can come up with the most notable achievements to demonstrate their effectiveness. It’s important, however, to avoid letting major successes drown out the value of small successes, especially for newer and less confident team members. You might need to stress the importance of every success, emphasising that it is not a contest.
You could ask for a different kind of list from everyone: What have you done in the interest of teamwork? How have you helped a colleague? This list could complement the individual achievement list and help to foster more collaborative efforts. Other questions could also be motivational such as:
What have you done that you regard as creative or innovative over the past few months?
- What’s an example of how you’ve gone the extra mile to meet a tight deadline?
- What’s some positive feedback you had from a client or other stakeholder?
- What are some changes to our processes or procedures that you have made or suggested?
It’s important to focus on positives in such meetings. This means stopping people from complaining, criticizing or blaming in success celebration meetings. If people want to talk about problems, you might have a separate meeting on things we need to stop, start and keep doing. In a team improvement meeting, it’s a good idea to encourage team members to focus on the future, not the past: what solutions can we come up with rather than just focusing on setbacks and pointing fingers.