Practice : Recognition and Appreciation Practice
Purpose and Strategic Importance
Recognition and Appreciation Practice is the leadership discipline of consistently acknowledging the contributions, growth, and effort of team members — specifically, authentically, and in ways that resonate with the individual. Recognition is one of the most powerful and underused tools a leader has. When done well, it reinforces the behaviours that drive performance and signals what the team genuinely values.
Generic or performative recognition misses the point. The practice requires leaders to observe closely enough to recognise specific contributions, to understand each individual's preferences for how recognition is given, and to build a habit of appreciation into how they lead — not reserve it for exceptional events.
Description of the Practice
- Recognition is specific: it names what was done, not just that something was done well.
- Recognition is timely: it follows the contribution closely rather than being saved for annual reviews.
- Leaders understand individual preferences: some people prefer public recognition, others private.
- Appreciation is extended beyond immediate team members to collaborators and cross-team contributors.
- Recognition events are used to reinforce cultural values, not just individual performance.
How to Practise It (Playbook)
1. Getting Started
- Start a habit of one specific recognition per week — in a 1:1, a team forum, or in writing.
- Ask each team member privately: "How do you prefer to receive recognition?"
- When recognising, be specific: "I noticed how you handled [specific situation] — the way you [specific action] made a real difference because [specific impact]."
- Avoid generic praise ("great job", "well done") — it lands less than silence.
2. Scaling and Maturing
- Build recognition into team rituals — a standing agenda item in team meetings, or a peer recognition moment in retrospectives.
- Recognise behaviours that align to team values, not just outcomes that were always likely to happen.
- Extend recognition beyond the immediate team: acknowledge cross-functional collaborators who often go unseen.
- Review whether recognition is distributed equitably — biases in who gets noticed are common and real.
3. Team Behaviours to Encourage
- Team members recognise each other's contributions, not just waiting for leaders to do it.
- Recognition is specific and grounded in real observation.
- People feel comfortable expressing what kind of recognition works for them.
- Peer recognition is valued and visible in team culture.
4. Watch Out For…
- Recognition that always goes to the same people — usually the most visible or vocal.
- Praise that is so generic it feels like a formality rather than genuine appreciation.
- Leaders who recognise outcomes but ignore the exceptional effort or growth that produced them.
- Recognition as a management technique disconnected from genuine care — people detect inauthenticity quickly.
5. Signals of Success
- People feel seen and valued, not just evaluated.
- Team surveys show people feel recognised for their contributions.
- Recognition flows horizontally as well as top-down — the team has adopted the practice.
- People go above and beyond with enthusiasm rather than resentment.
- Behaviours that align to team values increase in frequency after being recognised.