How to appreciate your team member (s)
- Posted on Nov 23, 2023
There is SO much you can do to demonstrate (not just SAY) your appreciation.
Ask them what you can do, as a leader to help them enjoy their job more. Do a ‘stay interview’. Watch now for more ideas!
Is there someone at work or a volunteer in your organization who’s doing an OUTSTANDING job?
If you have such a person, great!
I invite you to consider two things:
(1) Tell them how much you appreciate them. Then, SHOW them that your words are sincere by following through with a tangible outcome, such as a recognition gift that’s more than words.
During a meeting, it’s easy to say so and so did a great job with xyz.
Those are hallow words if you’re not rewarding people for their outstanding contributions.
Consider these options:
Give them a raise, give them professional development, give them a certificate of appreciation, send them a gift in the mail, ask them what you can do to help them enjoy their job more, create ways for them to have more work life balance, offer to let them help with a project or shadow another team member to learn new skills. There’s so much you can do to demonstrate your appreciate and not just say your appreciation.
If the first time you sent a team member a gift for their great work or otherwise meaningfully recognized their efforts was for their goodbye party, then you know there’s lots of improvement to be made on your end as a leader.
(2) Ask them, “If you were to resign now, what would be your reasons?” Then, reflect on what tangible outcomes you can create to support their retention. After reflection, take action.
This type of question is one of my favorites to ask in something is HR people call “a stay interview”.
Some employers will ask you to have an “exit interview” before leaving so they can gather your feedback and perhaps learn more about why you’re leaving.
However, you’re already leaving so there’s only so much they can do. What they apply may help the next person but it won’t help you.
This is why stay interview are great. You ask these types of questions before someone is on their way out. It helps with retention.
It also helps with culture because it gives you an opportunity to show your team that you actually care.
You ask, “If you were to resign now, what would be your reasons?”
Then take action on what you learned. If you don’t they will probably stop being open with you about their feelings. Not taking action could be interpreted as you don’t care or that you’re just pretending to care.
You don’t want to come off that way. You also don’t want to ask this question if you’re not ready to do something about it. Be ready, Reflect on yourself as a leader that you’re going to be open-minded about what they’re going to say. Otherwise, you may do more harm than good.
Your team member or volunteer may say five different things. You don’t have to take action on all of them, but do take action on at least one. Do you best to fulfill each request, though.
Be in a dialog with the person about how you’re going to respond their feedback and how you’re trying to do to help. You want to be sure that it works for them, and that you’re not taking action on only what you think will work for them.
Go out there and be that leader you’re trying to be!
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