We know that appreciation that is seen as fake or manipulative is not received as appreciation at all. That fact, most all of us get. Yet, what also happens is mediocre attempts to appreciate someone that's done more out of obligation or convenience can also have no effect to negative effects, too.
1. Appreciate someone for who they are
Appreciate someone in your life who just be being who they are makes your professional life better. For a moment, think of who, if they were missing from tomorrow on, you would severely miss in your day to day business activities.
The benefits are actually motivational for yourself, the person you thank and your work environment. According to Globoforce, people feel motivated the most by the following two actions:
Making a colleague feel good or appreciated
Thanking a colleague for going above and beyond
The benefit in this is for you and for the person receiving the appreciation!
2. Find out what someone values and appreciate them with something that's meaningful to them
We all differ in what we value. For some of us, we value when someone slows down to talk to us, listen meaningfully to what we say or even sets aside special time to talk one-on-one with us. Others value support, additional help, something to make their day easier or to shorten/lessen the workload of their day so they can go onto other things that are of great value to them.
Still, there are some who really want a tangible outward gift with some material value or visible benefits. And even more others who need to hear someone say and express their gratitude through kind words, verbal recognition of their contributions and words of affirmation.
3. Appreciate someone with meaningful input
To strengthen the relationship with someone, be specific about exactly what you're thanking them about. It helps:
Them realize that there is something very specific that they do that is of value to you
It's clear to them that you genuinely thank them because of the specificity (instead of the general 'hey thanks').
In fact, in the Globoforce study, they found that 73% of employees prefer input from everyone (senior leaders and peers). While 27%, are happy just from receiving input from their supervisor alone.
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