The power of recognition to motivate people to fully commit to the pursuit of excellence cannot be overstated. Good leaders call out quality work and effort and make a fuss over what people have achieved. They understand that, when warranted, recognition is free and worth a small fortune to the people who receive it.
Recognizing people in group settings is often thought to magnify the appreciation they feel. Unfortunately for leaders, many team members crave such public recognition, while others loathe it and will do anything to avoid it.
Given the universal desire to be recognized for achievement, the idea that some team members abhor public acknowledgment, while others yearn for it creates a slippery slope for leaders. Understanding why as many as half of all team members detest public recognition offers some insight into how to navigate this testy challenge.
At the top of the list for why some team members dislike the idea of recognition in front of the group is a concern that their peers will think they don’t deserve the recognition. Instead of holding them up to those they hope will celebrate them, they suspect that some in the crowd will believe the recognition falsely portrays them as doing something special that wasn’t, or implies they are receiving the credit for what the team or others have made possible. In their minds, public recognition holds them up to ridicule, not esteem.
While it is true that some team members are introverted or prefer a low profile and feel uncomfortable in the spotlight, it is the fear of judgment that most undermines the desire for public recognition on the part of some team members. Trying to figure out who desires public recognition and who doesn’t isn’t nearly as effective as overcoming this roadblock before the recognition is offered.
The key is for leaders to allow the team to decide who deserves group praise and appreciation. When the team unanimously nominates a peer for public recognition, the fear of negative judgment disappears. Leaders who make sure they only publicly recognize those people who either prefer it or who are widely seen as worthy of such group praise will make the best choice when the time comes. They try not to make the call for a public shoutout on their own.
The best leaders don’t avoid offering public recognition when it is warranted just because some team members dislike it. Instead, they insist on confirming that everyone on the team believes a single peer deserves such an accolade. Better yet, they occasionally let the peers offer the recognition. It always takes excellence to recognize excellence.
Good morning,
What an important point.
It is never going to be black and white. If we take a democratic approach we get the majority vote to give someone credit when credit is due.
I am a fan of this (in truly exceptional team settings). What I prefer, generally speaking, is simply giving credit to your team. Additionally, we can show appreciation. We do this by taking care of them (especially when it's little things), and/or at least saying thank you.
Thank you for your time.
I appreciate the thought given to people who do not seek or appreciate public recognition here. However, I think this also misses a really important cultural dimension of the issue. In many cultures, you simply do not call someone out in front of their peers, whether for doing a bad job or a good one. In fact, you often do not even call them out privately! Someone raised in Scandinavia, for instance, is likely to be raised in a culture of cooperation and equality, where public praise for an individual at the expense of the team is rare if not non-existent. Calling someone from one of those cultures out in front of their peers is likely to make them very uncomfortable. It has nothing to do with the fears alluded to in the article. It is a cultural norm that is being violated. That cultural norm even extends to personal recognition. Children in those countries do not, for example, get grades in school. It is not until 6th grade in Sweden, and 8th in Denmark and Norway, that children get graded. People from that kind of culture simply are not accustomed to or comfortable with extrinsic evaluation and acknowledgment.