When was the last time you really paused long enough to appreciate your life, team, or organization? Our lives and jobs are so busy that it’s extremely difficult to stop long enough to appreciate. And when we finally do take a break, reflection on what we appreciate is not typically a top-of-the-list priority.

Yet it’s in reflection that we can harness gratitude. Gratitude stems from appreciation. As an entrepreneur, I can understand first-hand how running a company is exhausting and all-encompassing. Early mornings, late nights, long hours, and weekends filled with work are the norm. Anyone who has a passion for what they do will recognize this experience. 

But here is something to consider when talking about passion.  

Passion drives the heart to accomplish great things. Leaders, founders, driven entrepreneurs, all push and push, break through, win and lose, succeed and fail, as they drive forward. Many of these leaders will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Sometimes they push themselves and others to the brink. 

However, passion driven with appreciation is a different experience. It allows the journey to be constantly in the forefront helping engaged members of the entire team stay the course because they are celebrating and appreciating the small victories and each other along the way. It’s a much different workplace environment. It’s healthier, more genuine, and most employees are happier. It transcends promotions and salary increases. When appreciation is part of the environment, both employees and employers take pride in working together as a team. 

One way to build an environment of appreciation is to celebrate what you’ve accomplished and appreciate how you arrived where you are today, and with whom. Usually the “whom” refers to your teams, co-workers, and even past co-workers. They’ve all played a role in your journey.  

How often do we highlight the good qualities on our teams and in our organizations? With goals set high and target margins always elevating, it’s challenging and sometimes scary, to show appreciation in any direction within the company. 

Barriers to healthy appreciation on teams

Does your team have barriers to appreciation within the organization? Why do so many people feel underappreciated at work? The fact is, appreciation is not a given when it comes to workplace environments. 

Why the boss may not show appreciation toward teams:

  • Too focused on the job at hand to observe the need
  • Have to keep the next goal always in sight and urgent
  • Want to remain in control
  • Were never taught how to appreciate their teams
  • Don’t have direct insight to each team members actual accomplishments
  • Don’t want to come across as too easy
  • Don’t want to get too close to co-workers
  • Want to keep employees on their feet
  • Don’t feel appreciated by their own bosses

Why teams may not show appreciation for the boss:

  • Don’t feel understood
  • Feel mistreated or unheard
  • Have no real relationship with the boss
  • Can’t see eye-to-eye
  • Feel a lack of positive feedback
  • Have an inflated sense of self-importance
  • Don’t see a path forward for self-improvement
  • Don’t want it to look like they are trying to “get in good” with the boss

These are examples of how walls will form within teams and organizations. Without addressing these issues openly and honestly the walls continue to form, getting higher and more difficult to break through. Ultimately something will crack within the organization. 

Some of the repercussions of these barriers are: 

  • High turnover rates
  • Lost expertise and knowledge
  • Increased costs due to rehiring and retraining new people
  • Decreased productivity
  • Lack of communication and an increase in misunderstandings
  • Decreased loyalty
  • Difficulty in recruiting and retaining employees
  • Difficulty establishing a cooperative and team-oriented culture

Appreciation with honest and open communication can remove the walls and bring the organization back to a productive, flourishing, and supportive environment. 

Tips to highlight appreciation 

Start with the little things

Boss: 

Leaders think something big needs to happen before they should show appreciation, not fully understanding that the process was arduous, and the employee had to sacrifice something to get the job done. Celebrate and appreciate the journey with your teams. 

Employee:

Understand that it’s not easy to be the boss. Consider all the little nuances that occur throughout the day and don’t be afraid to recognize and celebrate them with those in leadership.

The same holds true for your teammates and co-workers. The little things are worth appreciating. 

Examples of little things: 

  • Who cleans your office, including your home office? 
  • Where do you park at work and how did you get that spot? 
  • How did you get an office with a window?
  • Who delivers your mail and/or other packages? 
  • Who helped you understand something today?
  • Who will help you tomorrow if you get stuck on a project?
  • Who makes you smile each day?
  • Who assisted you in a completed project?
  • Who met with you at the last minute because you needed them? 
  • Who supported an idea you came up with?
  • Who gave you clear and helpful feedback? 
  • Who gave you encouragement today? 
  • Who do you look forward to seeing in a meeting?

This list could go on and on, but it’s a great reminder that little things, many of which we take for granted, add up. When written in a list, it’s easy to see how we could forget to appreciate them.  

Forget about proving you’re in charge

Boss: 

You’re already in charge. That’s all the proof you need. What is not clear to the employees or co-workers is how you will use that position. How can you utilize the “boss” position to become a leader who fosters appreciation, instead of power?

Leaders shouldn’t feel insecure about power. If you lead from the heart, insecurity shouldn’t enter the picture. More power is not going to make you feel more in charge, but more appreciation might help you gain even greater respect for the position you hold. 

Employee:

Be aware of your own insecurities and try to keep the overall organization as the priority. Every person on the team is looking for ways to improve. You don’t have to “show who’s in charge” with the boss. What you can show is an appreciation for those on your team who are trying to reach the same goals as you. 

Teach a colleague when you have the opportunity to share knowledge. Growth occurs when ideas and opinions are shared and discussed. Look beyond the job description and have a purpose to improve the entire organization. This starts with understanding the boss. 

Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable

Boss: 

Some bosses throw their employees or co-workers under the bus, tear people down, throw blame across the organization, and don’t deal with the truth, all to look less vulnerable. Other bosses put themselves in front of the bus, lift instead of tear people down, take blame whenever they can to protect workers, and are genuine and truthful, proving that you can lead and be vulnerable at the same time. It’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s empowering. 

Vulnerability allows you to be open and honest. You and/or your employees may make a mistake. You might fall short of the target on the bottom line, miss a deadline, say something offensive, or make a wrong call. It’s better to be upfront and honest about these issues, and try to correct them together, than to cover them up or blame someone else. 

Employee:

Be vulnerable. You make mistakes. You are not perfect. There is no need to hoard the credit or to enhance the mistakes of others to look good to the boss. Eventually, the team will suffer unless all workers feel safe to be who they are, without ridicule and without judgment.  

In the same way, understand that leadership may also make mistakes. Give grace when it is the boss who made a mistake. Instead of judgment, think of a solution that could help correct the situation. How can you help remedy the situation to dissolve some, or all, of the negative effects faced by the boss or organization? 

Practice Appreciation

Like most things, it takes practice to master a skill. Any great athlete, musician, artist, leader, etc., practices to improve. Practicing appreciation begins with practicing gratitude.  

What are you grateful for right now? Short list or long, it’s a good place to begin each day.  

According to a study designed by the USC Marshall School of Business, the benefits associated with gratitude include better sleep, more exercise, reduced symptoms of physical pain, lower levels of inflammation, lower blood pressure along with many other benefits.

Practicing appreciation allows you to get to know your people better. It allows you to stand in their shoes and to understand their lives. It also opens the door for better communication.  

Some ideas for implementing appreciation practice: 

  • Make it part of a daily routine – set a time and place to write them out
  • Make it a special team builder
  • Have a gratitude “buddy” to share three gratitudes a day via email 
  • Add this time to everyone’s calendar as “reserved for appreciation” time
  • Set up an appreciation retreat 
  • Use inward (toward self) and outward (towards others) gratitude thoughts
  • Send one gratitude a day/week to someone in your address book
  • Have the team focus on specific topics to look for all week (i.e., honesty, support), 
  • End the quarter with appreciation questions (i.e., what/who I appreciated most)
  • Set aside a prayer/reflection time every day to list things you are grateful for

Gratefulness and appreciation are usually reserved for special occasions and holidays, such as Thanksgiving. Although a holiday is a perfect reminder to reflect and be grateful, the practice of appreciation should take place much more often.  

One of the great things about contemplating appreciation is that it automatically permits the mind to be grateful. When you give appreciation a focus, like with the list of options above, you can dial in even deeper. There is a lot to appreciate.

Every day is a gift and everyone that we encounter has an opportunity and the potential to teach. Listen, learn, and appreciate.