Give Yourself a High Five
SteveMost work and the majority of contributions made by people in the organization are not what anyone would term major breakthoughs or fantastic and profound 'eureka' moments. Rather they are the 'little things' or more likely a collection of little things, small gestures, and normal getting the job done activities that add up to an effective or winning performance.
These little things tend to go unnoticed, unless of course something is missed or goes wrong, (this is the one employee with an error on his paycheck when the other 3,999 employees were correct syndrome).
And I think as an employee it can get frustrating if you feel that all the good, yet small contributions you make continue to go unrecognized and only the errors or exceptions get noticed.
Little things, like making a free throw mid-way through a basketball game, go a long way to overall team and organizational success. So perhaps the next time you feel like your solid, important but not spectacular contributions get overlooked, instead of whining or bemoaning your lack of recognition, take a page from Andrew Bogut of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and give yourself a pat on the back, or in his case - a high five.
Pretty cool.
Anyone know the emoticon for a high five?
Reader Comments (2)
Terrific post, especially the line: "as an employee it can get frustrating if you feel that all the good, yet small contributions you make continue to go unrecognized and only the errors or exceptions get noticed." There's no "I think" about this, Steve. Vast research supports this. And it goes beyond "frustrating" to active disengagement. Employees checking out of their jobs, doing just enough to not get fired. It doesn't take much to tell someone thank you. It only takes a little bit more effort to specifically thank them by telling them why their efforts are not only appreciated, but important in the big picture. That's where the big gains can come from.
(More on specific, actionable and authentic praise here: http://globoforce.blogspot.com/2009/11/specific-actionable-and-authentic.html
This post is a great reminder to remember the little things. High five!