Recognize Your Team

Imagine you like to keep to your self, but you keep getting recognized and thank publicly.  Imagine liking a bit of attention but are congratulated in private.  Leaders and managers need to recognize their folks the way they want to be recognized.

It is very important to get to know your team.  Get to know who they are.  Go past their relationship status and hobbies.  That information is helpful, but we need to dive deeper.

What drives your folks, and what inspires them?  What makes them hesitant or loose confidence?  What is their communication style?  Are they more outgoing and public, or are they more reserved and private.  Us humans fall on a wide ranging, complex spectrum of personality types, so take your time, be patient, but keep listening and learning about your team.

We want our teammates to work at their optimal levels, as much as possible.  We can help by making them feel comfortable and welcome on our teams.  By making small concessions to meet their wants and needs, your team will feel more comfortable, freeing them up to think more about the work in front of them.  If they are uncomfortable, they will spend time thinking about that, about what is making them uneasy and, they will spend more time thinking about ways to get themselves into a more comfortable place.  Relieve them of that burden.

Don’t treat them the way you want to be treated.  You may like a public recognition, and you may find yourself constantly congratulating your folks publicly.  That may seem easier to you.  It is much more natural to you.  Don’t fall into that trap.  Leadership is not easy, it takes work, and you need to work on getting to know your team members.  You should be the one that is uncomfortable not your folks.

Use these situations as learning opportunities as well.  You may get questions or comments about why you change up recognition each time.  Help your team understand that each person is different.  (Don’t call out anyone specific.) For example, your team may grow accustom to celebrating wins with a pizza lunch, but if the employee you are celebrating this time doesn’t like pizza, does it make sense to bring in something they will not take part in?  Some folks may be upset or confused they didn’t receive their pizza, but take that moment to share and learn something new.

We have to be open and welcoming to each team member.  Everyone is different.  Each individual has individual drivers and hesitations.  As leader, get to know each individual on your team, and access their drivers and overcome their hesitations.  Make your team warm and welcoming.