How to Honor the People You Lead

Twelve percent.

That is the percentage of employees who say they receive meaningful recognition when they do good work. Meanwhile, 85% feel overworked and underappreciated. And 80% of managers believe they recognize their people well.

A nearly 70-point gap separates what leaders think they do from what their people experience.

That gap costs you people and profits every single day.

The T.H.R.I.V.E. framework coaches you as a people leader to close that gap.

The H in T.H.R.I.V.E. is for Honor: Recognition that Lands Best.

Soap Bubbles Rather Than Velcro

Dr. Bob Nelson has spent more than three decades as the world's leading authority on employee recognition. His book, 1,501 Ways to Reward Employees, has been reprinted 64 times. He has worked with 80% of Fortune 500 companies.

He told me on the Work Positive Podcast, "Meaningful is putting just a little effort into it."

Rather than a ceremony or a budget line item, you put a little effort into it. Meaningful recognition is specific, timely, and personal to the recipient rather than the giver.

Bob's core principle is simple. "You see something, do something."

"Great job" bounces off and leaves no mark. I call those soap bubble comments. They are beautiful while they last, which is about three seconds. Velcro comments hook the recipient by the head and heart. "I noticed the way you de-escalated that client call yesterday as things got tense. That took real skill and it saved the relationship. Thank you."

When you recognize your people, do you offer soap bubbles that disappear or Velcro that holds?

The Golden Banana

Bob shared a story that shows how quickly recognition transforms culture.

A manager at Hewlett-Packard was working late as a software engineer came running down the hall, having just cracked a significant technical problem. The manager reached into his lunch bag, found a banana, and handed it over on the spot with his congratulations.

Spontaneous. Specific. Slightly ridiculous.

That banana eventually evolved into the Golden Banana Award, HP's most coveted technical achievement recognition in that division. Lapel pins. Formal presentations. An entire culture of honoring breakthrough thinking, all grown from one impulsive moment of authentic appreciation.

Hartford Hospital faced a poor first-year nurse retention rate. A consultant proposed three touches:

• At 30 days, a personalized welcome letter.

• At 60 days, a check-in survey.

• At 90 days, a meeting with the VP, with muffins and balloons.

The result was that first-year retention improved by 20%. The hospital saved $1.5 million.

Three touches. No compensation restructuring. Just a consistent message: We see you. We value you. We are glad you are here.

Say TaDa!

Joel Zeff has spent more than twenty-five years studying the intersection of fun, recognition, and work culture. He told me on the Work Positive Podcast about what he calls the TaDa Moment.

Think back to being a child. Everything was a TaDa! You ate your sandwich. TaDa! You figured out the puzzle. TaDa! You used the toilet. Exuberant TaDa!

Now look at what the adults on your team do every day. They solve complex problems. They navigate difficult clients. They master new systems.

Your people need some TaDa.

Joel recommends starting meetings with a Tip of the Hat. Three minutes, a timer, every person offers one specific acknowledgment to a teammate. Three minutes transforms the energy of the room.

Your Honor Do One Thing (DOT) Challenge

• Think about every person you contacted today and share appreciation you forgot to give.

• Send a text, an email, a call, or a handwritten note.

• Answer one question honestly: "How do I help the people around me be successful?"

TaDa!

Work Positive Bottom Line

Honor the people you lead. Do One Thing that honors them today.

This post is from Dr. Joey Faucette's newest book, T.H.R.I.V.E. @ Work: Mental Health, Culture, and the People You Lead.

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