Let’s be honest. Every leader knows they should acknowledge their team's efforts. It’s Management 101. We’re told it boosts morale, increases engagement, and drives performance. But in today's complex, hybrid, and often chaotic work environment, the simple act of saying "good job" has become a minefield. Get it right, and you foster a culture of loyalty and innovation. Get it wrong, and you risk appearing tone-deaf, fostering resentment, or worse, accelerating burnout. The difference lies not in the intention, but in the execution. This isn't about checking a box for HR; it's about the profound human need to feel seen, valued, and understood for one's contributions. In an era defined by quiet quitting, the Great Resignation, and a global reckoning with workplace well-being, how you acknowledge effort is no longer a soft skill—it's a strategic imperative.
We are navigating a fundamental shift in the employer-employee contract. The pandemic didn't just change where we work; it changed why we work. People are re-evaluating their relationship with their jobs, seeking purpose, flexibility, and respect above all else. In this new landscape, generic, top-down recognition is not just ineffective; it's insulting. It signals that leadership is out of touch.
When acknowledgment is done poorly, the consequences are severe. It can exacerbate feelings of invisibility in a remote setting, where "out of sight, out of mind" is a real danger. It can deepen the divides in global teams, where cultural nuances in praise are misunderstood. Most critically, in a world teetering on the edge of widespread burnout, failing to acknowledge the effort—not just the outcome—tells employees that their well-being is secondary to the bottom line. Conversely, genuine, thoughtful acknowledgment is a powerful antidote to disengagement. It is the currency of trust and the foundation of a resilient, adaptable organization.
These are the pillars of building a culture where people feel truly valued. They move beyond the transactional and into the transformational.
Vague praise like "Great work, team!" is barely a step above no praise at all. It feels hollow and impersonal. The brain lights up far more when recognition is detailed and tied to a specific action. * How to do it: Instead of "Good presentation," try, "The way you structured the data on slides 10-12 was incredibly clear and directly addressed the client's core concerns. It showed deep preparation and understanding." This tells the employee exactly what they did right, making the praise believable and reinforcing the desired behaviors.
In our obsession with outcomes, we often ignore the immense effort, late nights, and creative problem-solving that happen along the way. This is especially crucial for projects that ultimately fail or get pivoted. If you only celebrate wins, you create a culture that fears failure and avoids ambitious risks. * How to do it: Publicly acknowledge the hard work put into a project that was shelved. Say something like, "I want to call out the incredible diligence and innovative thinking the team applied to Project Alpha. While market conditions led us to change direction, the skills and collaboration we built are invaluable and will directly contribute to our next success."
Recognition has a half-life. Praising someone for a achievement from six months ago loses its impact and feels like an afterthought. acknowledgment should be a continuous practice, woven into the fabric of your weekly routines, not saved for the annual review. * How to do it: Send a quick, specific Slack message or email right after a win. Start a team meeting by highlighting a recent individual or small-team contribution. The closer the recognition is to the action, the stronger the positive reinforcement.
Not everyone wants to be put on the spot in a town hall. For some, public recognition is a nightmare; for others, it's a thrill. The key is to know your team members and what makes them feel comfortable and valued. * How to do it: Have a conversation about preferences. One person might love a shout-out in a company-wide newsletter, while another would genuinely appreciate a handwritten note or a quiet, sincere one-on-one conversation. Personalization demonstrates that you see them as an individual.
A culture of acknowledgment cannot be driven solely from the top down. The most powerful recognition often comes from peers who were in the trenches and witnessed the contribution firsthand. * How to do it: Implement simple, low-friction systems. This could be a #kudos channel on Slack, a "recognition wall" in your virtual office, or a small budget for team members to give each other spot bonuses. Leadership's role is to model this behavior and create the channels for it to flourish.
Modern employees, especially younger generations, crave purpose. They want to know how their work contributes to the bigger picture. * How to do it: When acknowledging a team's effort to launch a new feature, don't just talk about the feature. Talk about how it will improve the lives of your customers or how it advances the company's mission. For example, "Thanks to your tireless work, we are now able to provide a more accessible service to thousands of users, which is at the very heart of why we do what we do."
Even with the best intentions, it's easy to fall into these traps. Avoiding them is just as important as following the "Dos."
A generic "thank you" mumbled in the hallway or a company-branded mug as a "reward" for a year of monumental effort can feel worse than no acknowledgment at all. It signals that the act of recognition is a chore, not a genuine appreciation. * The fallout: This breeds cynicism. Employees see through it immediately, and it erodes trust in leadership. The recognition becomes a punchline, not a motivator.
"Employee of the Month" programs can be highly demotivating. They often turn recognition into a zero-sum game, where one person's success implicitly highlights others' "failure." This can kill collaboration and foster a toxic, competitive environment. * The fallout: Instead of encouraging everyone to do their best, it encourages people to game the system or, worse, to undermine their colleagues. It ignores the reality that most meaningful achievements are the result of team effort.
In every team, there are quiet performers—the people who fix critical bugs, maintain essential infrastructure, or provide invaluable support to the rest of the team. Their work is often invisible until it fails. If you only acknowledge the people who present the final results or are the most vocal in meetings, you are missing the vast majority of the effort. * The fallout: You demotivate your most reliable, behind-the-scenes contributors, leading to quiet quitting and eventual turnover. You also send a message that only flashy, client-facing work is valued.
A bonus or a raise is important and necessary to compensate people fairly. But it is not a substitute for genuine, human acknowledgment. Money is transactional; recognition is emotional. Once the bonus is spent, the motivational effect is often gone, whereas a truly heartfelt "thank you" can be remembered for years. * The fallout: If you only throw money at performance, you create a mercenary culture where loyalty is tied directly to the next payout. You fail to build the deeper, emotional commitment that carries a team through tough times.
This is a classic leadership failure. "I'm so proud of what my team accomplished under my direction..." This instantly transfers the credit from the team to the leader. The focus should always remain on the people who did the work. * The fallout: You come across as arrogant and out of touch. Your team will feel used, as if their hard work was merely a platform for you to showcase your own leadership. This is a surefire way to destroy morale.
The principles above need to be applied with nuance to the specific challenges of the modern workplace.
In a hybrid model, there's a natural bias toward acknowledging the people in the room. The remote employees on the video call can easily become second-class citizens. * Solution: Be deliberately inclusive. If you're in a meeting with a hybrid setup, make a conscious effort to call on remote team members first. When praising a co-located subgroup for a quick win, immediately follow up with a message to the remote contributors who supported the project infrastructure. Use collaborative digital platforms like SharePoint or Confluence to give public shout-outs, creating a single source of truth for recognition that everyone can see equally.
This is a critical tightrope to walk. In trying to thank someone for going "above and beyond," you can accidentally normalize and reward unsustainable work habits. * Solution: Frame your acknowledgment carefully. Instead of "Thanks for working all weekend to hit that deadline," try, "I truly appreciate the dedication you showed to get us across the finish line. That level of effort is not our standard expectation, and I am grateful for your commitment in this unique situation. Let's discuss how we can better plan to avoid that kind of crunch in the future." This thanks the person while simultaneously prioritizing their well-being and signaling that burnout is not the price of success.
In a global team, a gesture that motivates in one culture may embarrass or confuse in another. In some cultures, public, individual praise is deeply uncomfortable, while in others, it is expected. * Solution: Do your homework. When managing a cross-cultural team, take the time to understand these differences. Ask team members about local customs or work with HR partners. When in doubt, err on the side of sincere, private, and specific acknowledgment that focuses on the team's collective achievement rather than singling out one individual in a way that might cause them to "lose face."
The art of acknowledging team efforts is a continuous learning process. It demands empathy, observation, and a genuine commitment to seeing the human beings behind the work output. It’s about moving from a scripted policy to an authentic leadership practice. In the final analysis, the most powerful form of acknowledgment is creating an environment where people know, without a doubt, that their effort is seen, their contribution matters, and their value is deeply understood.
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Author: Global Credit Union
Link: https://globalcreditunion.github.io/blog/the-dos-and-donts-of-acknowledging-team-efforts.htm
Source: Global Credit Union
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