Sparked Vol. 006 – Ignite your Team with Personalized Praise

This edition of Sparked was published and delivered on March 17th, 2023.

Sparked is Fired Up! Culture’s bi-weekly email newsletter focused on what drives culture and engagement in the workplace. This newsletter is for leaders who are ready to get intentional about bringing their team together, building engagement, and harnessing the power of culture to drive results.

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Ignite your Team with Personalized Praise

Did you know that being recognized and praised for a job well done leads to even greater productivity?

In fact, engagement, productivity, and performance is 14% higher in organizations that are intentional about how they recognize and praise team members.

Unfortunately, 82% of the workforce feels under-recognized for their efforts and 40% of employed Americans say they’d give a better effort at work if they were recognized more often.

Praising your team members for a job well done (when warranted!) on a regular basis is a low-cost, high-impact way to ignite your people to bring their best to work every day.

But remember…not everyone wants to be recognized in the same way. Personalization and authenticity are key in delivering praise that lands well and makes a lasting impact.

Need some ideas on where to start? Read up on a variety of ways to show recognition in the workplace from Fired Up! Culture’s very own, Mike Robertson.

For your Consideration

When was the last time you considered how a particular team member wants to receive praise for a job well done?

It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, recognition and appreciation from leadership is welcomed by your team members. 

But how you show that appreciation should be different for each person on your team. Have you considered how each person on your team wants to be recognized? (No…not everyone wants to be praised publicly.)

If you aren’t sure how to right-size the approach for each person on your team, spend the time to find out. Right-sizing how to praise and recognize each one of your team members will go a long way when it comes time to share your appreciation for their work and contribution.

Take Action to Build Culture

Ready to take action and make praise and recognition a larger part of your team’s culture? Try this:

• Establish Rituals: Build in recognition opportunities like team member of the month awards, announcing key wins, and celebrating work anniversaries.  
• Have a conversation: Strive to understand how every team member reporting to you wants to be recognized for their strong work. Remember, not everyone wants to be recognized in the same way. 
• Dedicate Budget: Carve out a small but important recognition budget to provide acknowledgment for good work. Money could be spent on things like lunches out, gift certificates, or extra cash bonuses.  

Reading Recommendation

The 5 Languages of Appreciation In The Workplace, authored by Gary Chapman and Paul White, offers an insightful adoption of ‘The 5 Love Languages’ tailored for a professional environment. 

This one is a favorite of the Fired Up! Culture team. Grab this book and get actionable takeaways on how to build more positivity into your workplace culture.

Pick up a copy here. 

Further Exploration on Workplace Praise

• Gratitude schmatitude: How too much praise devalues appreciation
• Types of Workplace Appreciation
• Recognizing Employees Is the Simplest Way to Improve Morale