How To Lead With Appreciation Language To Partner, Collaborate, and Influence

People are the lifeblood of any organization. In order to increase productivity, boost team dynamics and create a collaborative environment, leaders need to foster an environment where people feel appreciated, heard and understood. The more you can motivate your team members, the easier it will be for you to lead them in the right direction. Useful leadership skills also include the ability to give recognition when someone does something well or goes above and beyond. A leader who understands how to recognize others is more likely to retain great talent and inspire even greater performance from their team. It’s important to find ways of showing your team that they are valued and appreciated. Using appreciation language is one way of ensuring people know you see their value as a member of your team. Here is how to do it:

Explain why they are valued

When you recognize someone, start by asking yourself why they are valued. This will help you to put your appreciation into words. If you have a project manager who is helping you to stay on time with your goals, you can say something like, “What you do is invaluable. Your attention to detail and project management skills are helping us to stay on track and be more productive as a team.” This will help you to express the value of their work. If you have a team member who is always going above and beyond, you could say, “You always have an extra mile in your shoes. It’s inspiring to have someone on the team who never says, ‘That’s good enough.’ You are committed to excellence in everything you do and it makes a difference.” This will help you to express the value of their work and why it is important.

Be authentic

When you want to show your appreciation to a team member, try and be as authentic as possible. Avoid false flattery or imitation as this will sound inauthentic and people will be able to tell. Instead, speak from your heart and say what is genuinely on your mind. If you want to show appreciation to a colleague who is attending a meeting on your behalf, be genuine. You could say, “Thanks for stepping in for me on those meetings today. It helps me to focus on other priorities and frees up my schedule for important work.” This will help you to show your appreciation authentically.

Be specific

When you want to give recognition to a colleague, try and be as specific as possible. This will help you to show your appreciation and also have a clear understanding of what someone is doing that is above and beyond expectations. If you have a team member who is always going above and beyond, you could say, “Your work on the customer service survey was excellent. You really helped to understand what we need to do to improve there.” This will show the team member that you appreciate their efforts and are specific about what they do that is helpful.

Be timely

When you want to show appreciation, try and do it as soon as possible. This will help you to maximize the impact of your appreciation language. You don’t want to wait until the end of the week or month to recognize someone when you can do it in real time. If you have a team member who is doing a great job, don’t wait another day to say something. You could say, “I appreciate the work you are doing on that project. I know things aren’t easy right now, but you are handling them well.” This will help you to show appreciation in a timely manner.

Don’t use generic words and phrases

When you want to show appreciation, try and avoid the use of generic words and phrases. Words and phrases such as “good job,” “excellent work,” and “well done” may seem like a great way to acknowledge someone. However, they are often used by leaders and managers without any real thought or sincerity. This makes them seem meaningless and unhelpful. If you have a team member who has been working on a big project, don’t use generic words and phrases. Instead, be specific and authentic. You could say, “I appreciate the time and effort you are putting into the product launch project. It’s taking longer than we expected, but you are handling it well.” This will help you to avoid using generic words and phrases.

Summing up

When you use appreciation language, you let your team members know that they are important and valuable. Using appreciation language is a great way to show people that they are appreciated and valued. There are a few things you can do to ensure your recognition is effective: Be authentic, be specific, be timely and don’t use generic words and phrases. When you use appreciation language, you let your team members know that they are important and valuable.