A nurse friend of mine told me the other day about receiving an invitation to be recognized for her 25 years of service in health care. The invitation included a website where she would register to attend an awards ceremony and choose a commemorative gift. Despite the well meaning effort, the process seemed somewhat clinical (if you’ll pardon the pun!). I asked her if this recognition made her feel appreciated; the answer was no. I doubt this was the outcome that the organizers of this initiative intended.
This got me thinking about the whole approach to staff recognition and its role in developing morale. Recognizing the people that work for you is part of the role of an effective leader. Whether you are leading a team of two or two thousand, recognizing contribution in a meaningful way goes a long way to making people feel valued which then translates into performance.
I’ve noticed that many leaders are too busy attending to their business to properly recognize their team. It’s not that they don’t understand or appreciate the need to recognize people but they just don’t have the time. In response, seeking out the most efficient mode to recognize contribution, leaders outsource recognition. The result is empty recognition. Recognition by number; ”We acknowledge your existence; thank you”.
I asked my nursing friend that if the CEO of the Health Authority popped in one day, unannounced, and came over to her and personally thanked her for 25 years of service would that be more meaningful. The resounding answer was yes. So, one has to wonder whether the expense of outsourcing appreciating is really worth it – likely not! You pay two ways; one through the expense of setting up the program and two through the reduction of morale that results. If you can’t make 5 minutes for your team then do you really have the time to be a leader?
