For the first 18 (and depending on how far we go in school,
22-25) years of our lives, we get accustomed to hearing parents, teachers, and
professors shout our praises when we do things well. And though we learn how to be proud of ourselves without
needing recognition from others, that extrinsic reward somehow means more. For me, it’s never been about the money
or the grade as much as it’s been about being able to hear someone I respect or
admire tell me I’ve done well or think that I’m smart and creative.
There’s a point, however, when we enter the workplace, when
this constant feedback stops being constant. We go through our daily grind, work our hardest, solve
problems, put out fires, reconcile differences in people or numbers, pack up and go home. This is not to say that we don’t
witness the value of our work from student achievement, client retention, or
increased sales. However,
the acknowledgements from our bosses and colleagues are not as common anymore;
they shout, “see you tomorrow!” or “have a good weekend!” but those reaffirming praises we used
to hear all the time have long since stopped. As the years of being in the work force add up, we get used
to it - we forget how good it made us feel when people stopped to notice our
efforts.
Perhaps that’s why I am writing this today –I had a significant
moment that I wanted to relish in for a while. When a colleague noticed my efforts AND said something about
it – it was like I was given an A+ gold star, put on a float, and paraded
around the room in all my glory.
Simple praise.
Literally the words were:
“You did a really good job.”
That’s all it took. Adults
are very quick to praise children, but we need to praise our peers, too. I’m all for intrinsic motivation and
having self-confidence on my own accord – but I don’t know anybody who wouldn’t
want to hear that he or she is doing a good job. It’s not the same as saying thank you – that’s kind, too,
but that’s someone needing something and being thankful they got it from
you. The kind of praise I’m
talking about is different. It’s
from someone who knows your job, does similar things that you do, and instead
of thinking about him or herself, someone is taking the time to honor you. The job YOU did.
I am grateful for not flying under the radar today. And for the person who happened to look
up and see me flying.
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