Insight: In
the last article, we talked about the importance of
being specific, but a truly impactful appreciation goes
deeper.
A construction foreman at one of our clients was
facing a dilemma. His team was laying 12-inch pipe,
but the rocky, uneven terrain was putting the
project over budget. The foreman thought of an
innovative solution and convinced his crew to try
it.
It was a success. After the project, the
superintendent acknowledged the foreman:
"I really appreciated your creativity in developing the
new process. I know that you struggled in meeting
the budget, and you had to manage the crew's
resistance to changing the process. Just knowing
that you are looking out for ways to make our
processes better allows me to focus on getting new
clients rather than always being on site. I think the
new process can be used on other projects and
could play a big role in helping our company
compete."
This acknowledgment was effective because the
superintendent took the time to give with depth.
The foreman felt deeply appreciated and was inspired
to continue to innovate.
Action:
When you give acknowledgments, add impact by
being specific, identifying the challenges they
overcame, explaining the impact on you, and sharing
the future that is now possible.
It's easy to gloss over appreciations, but if you take
the time to give with depth, the appreciation will be
much more deeply felt. Frequent acknowledgments
create a background of appreciation, which builds
partnership and makes it much easier to manage
constructive criticism.
To make your acknowledgments impactful, share at
least two of the following:
- Specifics: What specific actions did the
person do that you appreciated?
- Circumstances: What challenge did the
person overcome to succeed?
- Impact on You: What impact did the
person or the success have on you?
- Future: What future is now possible for
the project, the team, or the company?
When people put in hard work and are successful,
they want to be appreciated. Are you putting in
your "hard work" and taking the time as a manager or
a teammate to acknowledge them? By
acknowledging with depth, you may find that people
will expand on what is working well and perform at
even higher levels.
