Recognise This! – Anyone can write powerful, personal, meaningful messages of recognition, with thoughtfulness and a little effort.
A fundamental component of social recognition done right is very specific messages of appreciation. Not an off-the-cuff, “Hey, thanks!” but a detailed, “I saw the way you did X. Your efforts had impact Y, and the benefit to me, the company and the customer is Z.”
Such detailed, specific messages that focus on the contribution, impact and outcome convey to the recipient not just appreciation, but true recognition of the value that person brings to the organisation and the meaningfulness of the work they do.
But these powerful messages aren’t only limited to the workplace. Sometimes, the best teachers are the students (literally). See below (courtesy of Huffington Post) the note from a high school student in Texas to her math teacher, Jennifer Davis (who said the note “gave her goose bumps.”)
As you read the below, look for the hallmarks of well-written message of appreciation:
- Specific reference to contribution made or effort demonstrated
- Impact of that effort on the writer
- Sincere appreciation
