GRATEFUL LEADERSHIP: THE 7 PRINCIPLES OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

READING ROOM

GRATEFUL LEADERSHIP

JUDITH W. UMLAS

MC GRAW HILL

(239 PAGES)

Part 2: THE 7 PRINCIPLES OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 

THE PRINCIPLES	DETAILS
Principle 1 Acknowledgment is deserved by many, but received by few	Tips: Easier to acknowledge those you lead Start by practicing your acknowledgement skills on people you don’t know very well With a simple, caring act of appreciation and acknowledgement we simply have no idea of the contribution we make Acknowledgement are contagious.  Your letting people know that you value them will set the example and lead the way for them to acknowledge those with whom they work. Not all of the workers are great at everything they do but when you acknowledge them for what they are good at, they will want to do more of those kinds of things and to get better at what they do. Within the culture of appreciation, people will be open and eager to improve what they may not be so good at
Principle 2 Acknowledgement builds trust and creates powerful interaction	Tips: Acknowledge the people around you directly and fully Especially those with whom you are in close working relationship Look for ways to say how much you value them Show your profound, heartfelt gratitude and appreciation on a regular basis An acknowledgement is a way to cement your bond with a worker or co- worker.  It’s different from a simple thanks.  An acknowledgment is frequently unexpected, which gives it even more power.  It is an act that has the potential to make you see someone in a different way. The feelings of appreciation motivates employees to reach out in areas in which they may not feel completely secure but they can trust that they can and will be supported by their Grateful Leaders. Recognition, like a thank-you for a job well done, is not the same as acknowledgement.  The impact is different.  This can be seen through the Appreciation Paradigm. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT VS RECOGNITION Acknowledgment Recognition Expresses appreciation of a person for who they are What you admire and what inspires about them What you see in them that they may not even see in themselves Their value to the team and to their organization Is appreciation for an action by a person What they do to help meet a deadline The quality of their work Their responsiveness Their commitment Articulating what about the person you appreciate admire, like Showing appreciation for who they are and how they are behaving Showing appreciation for an action
Principle 3 Acknowledgement can help diffuse jealousy and envy	Tips: Acknowledge those you are jealous of Accept valuable input from the person you were envying We are all, in essence is the same.  This will alter your relationship with people, and it opens you up to accept their value and input. Jealousy speaks to our deepest fear.  Ignoring it won’t make it go away.  It can poison your relationship. Having an attitude that is inquisitive rather than judgmental can help to see other people in a different light and learn more about their perspective.
Principle 4 Acknowledgement Energizes People- Lack Of Acknowledgement Diminishes Them	Tips: Recognize and acknowledgement good work whenever you find it Giving a genuine acknowledgement is as moving and enlivening as receiving one.  Giving acknowledgement can feed on itself in a positive way.  The more careful you look, the more ways you will find to acknowledgment others. Gratitude and appreciation motivate and inspire people to go beyond what they perceive as their limit.  They will want to give you their best performance and will do whatever that takes.
Principle 5 Acknowledgement Can Make A Profound Difference In A Person’s Life And Work	Tips: Deliver acknowledgement gratefully, spontaneously and in a heartfelt way The power of acknowledgement to engage and keep our best people.  Grateful Leader focused in others.  Gratitude implies appreciation, and to fully appreciate others one must be genuinely interested in people. Effective leadership is a complex set of interactions where many critical skills are required to be effective.  Leaders who make full use of acknowledgement find that is one of the most powerful tools in the arsenal of influence skills.
Principle 6 Acknowledgement Improves Physical And Emotional Well-Being	Tips: Gratitude improves overall well-being, alertness and energy It diminishes stress and negativity Boost immune system Acknowledgement and gratitude are beneficial for your team and co-works and also for your own well- being, alertness and energy.  Scientific research supports the fact that the acknowledgement and gratitude are healthy for both the giver and receiver. Gratitude also allows people to better deal with stress, causing them to be more optimistic.  Gratitude also increases people’s level of happiness and positive emotions, and it improves health. If you are Grateful Leader, make your commitment to feeling, expressing, and acting upon your gratitude.  Grateful Leaders who practice authentic authentic acknowledgement, like caring and positive medical professionals, can make people feel and act and perhaps be a lot healthier, more inspired and certainly courageous. Recognition and acknowledgement release dopamine in brain, a powerful, feel-good chemical that creates pleasure and a desire to repeat the experience.  Without acknowledgement people may find themselves furious and resentful.  With acknowledgement, people are more likely to be motivated and energized and will want to do more. Many leader find it easy to cite negative results achieved by their employees and to judge them accordingly.  All leaders should be aware that stressful emotions produces and excess of a neurotransmitter called epinephrine which at the end of the day results in the weakening of the immune system and thus increasing the potential for disease.
Principle 7 Acknowledgement Needs To Be Practiced In Different Ways	Tips: Develop an acknowledgement repertoire Reach out to the people you lead in the different ways that will be the most meaningful to each person individually It’s important to develop an acknowledgement repertoire.  Reach out to people in the organization in the unique ways that will be the most meaningful to each situation and person. As a Grateful leader, you have the power to enliven, engage, inspire, motivate, and keep your best people by acknowledging them for who they are and their contribution to the organization.  Your gratitude will reach into the deepest places in your people as well as in your own soul. Let people know you believe in them and in their strengths is another powerful way to acknowledgement.  Ways to acknowledge are: Notice how people have grown Notice how people’s efforts have helped others and affected the customers and colleagues. Understanding what has meaning and value for the people. What you bring forth in a state of gratitude will touch the people who work with you, their families, their friends, and also their communities.  Your gratitude will make a huge difference to people.  They feel known, valued, an appreciated.