By Chad Kearns
We deliver Sparked every-other-week, focusing on what drives organizational culture and engagement. 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 build high-performing teams that drive remarkable results. Sign up here to get every edition of Sparked delivered straight to your inbox.
Engage your Team by Personalizing Appreciation
But today’s edition of Sparked is about more than just showing appreciation for your team members—it’s about personalizing the appreciation you show based on the preference of each team member you show appreciation for so that the appreciation you do share makes the biggest positive impact that it can.
Missing the mark on showing your appreciation for a given team member can be more detrimental than sharing no appreciation at all. Just ask someone who fears public recognition after they’ve been praised publicly for their work.
How you show your appreciation for your collection team and individual team members should not follow a one-size-fits-all approach.
Your team members likely hold a variety of workplace appreciation preferences.
Personalized appreciation requires taking the time to be thoughtful, matching your approach to each team member’s needs and preferences along the way.
Personalized approaches on an individual level take more time, more effort, and more intention. But getting how you appreciate a particular team member right builds trust, engagement, and buy-in.
Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing culture?
Personalize your appreciation.
Why Personalizing Appreciation Builds Engagement
Personalized appreciation builds engagement in two ways:
- Team members engage further when their contributions at work are regularly recognized and appreciated
- Team members engage further when the appreciation they receive is meaningful and prized by them
Everyone wants to feel appreciated. I don’t buy it if someone says that they don’t want to feel appreciated!
Personalized appreciation allows leaders to connect with each of their team members on an individual level, meeting their individual needs. Personalized appreciation requires time investment, thoughtfulness, and connection.
In plainer language, personalized appreciation shows that you care about your team members.
Engagement grows when a team member knows their leader cares about them.
Take Action on Personalizing Appreciation
Still trying to figure out where to start? Here’s how to take action today:
- Reflect on your Current Approach: Take a moment individually to consider how you show appreciation for your team members. Do you show your appreciation at all? Do you do it often enough? Is your approach to showing appreciation one-size-fits-all? Do you know how each of your team members wants to be appreciated? Asking yourself these questions and answering them honestly helps show where to start.
- Ask your Team Members: In your next 1:1 meeting, add a talking point about appreciation. Learn about what a team member individually finds meaningful to them. Is it public praise? Lunch with you? A handwritten thank you note? More responsibility in their role? An extra day off? Get curious! Discover what they value the most and then align your appreciation to those prizes as best as feasible.
- Build a Routine: For some leaders, sharing appreciation comes naturally. For others, building the muscle of appreciating well requires getting intentional. If sharing appreciation doesn’t come naturally, instill a little structure or routine to help hold yourself accountable. Find what works for you to keep appreciation for your team members top of mind.
Further Exploration on Effectively Scrutinizing To-Do Lists
Need help developing actionable plans for creating a culture of excellence in your organization?
Check out our Fired-Up! Culture Index today