INsight/ Leaders Acknowledge Others
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Manila, 3 August 2023 — Feeling acknowledged is a basic human need.
Story
It happened over the past year. This story has two sides. Working with leaders to support them in navigating transitions, I observed how almost all of them decided during their coaching process to take a step back to review what really called them in their life and work. This included getting clear on their vision, values, strengths, and more. What happened next is where the story starts.
A first group of leaders would devote themselves to making positive changes happen in their workplace, powered by fresh energy, new insights, and effective behaviors and skills. A second group, however, would decide that it was time to move on to a new project in their business or to a new workplace altogether. Typically, as I observed, they felt that they were not sufficiently recognized and acknowledged for the work they did. As the old adage goes, “People quit their boss, not their job.”
Feeling acknowledged is a basic human need. That’s what I discovered over many years of coaching. When bosses build a supportive and inclusive culture where everyone feels recognized, the staff will have a very good reason to stay when they receive a persuasive offer from another employer. On reflection, they know that it would not be easy to find the same empowering team spirit and culture elsewhere.
Challenge
Sadly, the positive culture I described above is still missing in many teams and workplaces. For sure, that can have many reasons. Yet what stands out for me is to see the deficit of recognition and acknowledgment. In my experience, most executives, managers, and team leaders are not sufficiently aware of this basic human need and the skills to satisfy it.
In our brains, a sustained lack of acknowledgment will cause our sympathetic nervous system to dominate our minds with an excess of negative emotions over long periods of time. On the other hand, even small acts of acknowledgment by colleagues and bosses will help to activate a positive state of mind, powered by our parasympathetic nervous system. That’s when our prefrontal cortex can do its best work with a mental state of openness, curiosity, and creativity.
When we feel acknowledged, not only do we experience positive emotions ourselves. We are also able to bring others into a positive mental state where they can perform and collaborate better and do so with a much higher level of well-being. Positive emotional states make trust and collaboration possible, opening the door to playing ‘a bigger game’ together. Mentally, we can observe that giving and receiving acknowledgments will directly affect us personally, socially, and in our performance.
Question
Summing up, acknowledging people is a foundational leadership skill and behavior with a big positive impact. Thankfully, it’s not rocket science. It’s simple, actually. Yet starting this behavior may feel unfamiliar at first.
My question for you this week is this: How do you acknowledge people in your workplace? Let me know what you think and practice!
The leaders working with me in one-to-one coaching programs and in the Grow3Leaders community of practice are discovering how to empower others with skillful acknowledgments, and why it is so important for leaders to acknowledge others. You are welcome to join them.
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