Six Critical Leadership Activities: Recognizing

The following list identifies six activities that I consider “critical” to successful leadership. These activities have helped me become and remain a more effective and efficient leader here at Remote DBA Experts.

1. Strategize
2. Align
3. Energize
4. Enable
5. Actualize
6. Recognize

In my last post, I defined what I meant by Actualizing and described what it entails.  In this post, I will do the same with the next and final Critical Leadership Activity: Recognizing.  If you’ve been keeping up with this blog series, I have mentioned that Actualizing and Recognizing are activities I use to give better meaning to the process of ensuring execution.

What does Recognizing mean?

The word “Recognizing” means several things.  In this context, it means showing awareness, approval, or appreciation.  Recognition is a powerful reinforcing tool that enables the recognized subject to remain aligned with the aim and energized towards its accomplishment.  Recognizing is acknowledging a contribution or effort made by an individual or team during the accomplishment process. It shows that you approve of a certain action taken towards aim accomplishment, and most importantly, that you appreciate the effort and results thereof.

What does Recognizing entail?

Recognizing entails several aspects.  Most importantly of which is attention.  To recognize, you must pay attention to what is happening around you and to what people are or are not doing.  You also need to be highly aware of aim alignment and the impact on results sought.  For recognition to be most effective, it needs to be for things that truly matter most, be it behaviors or actions that really contribute to aim accomplishment.  It may be a simple showing that you are aware that an individual or team is doing or has done something.  It may be that you approve a decision or a budget.  It may be that you send a thank you note, give time off, buy lunch, pay a bonus, or give a raise to someone.

Recognition can take many forms.  We all like different types of recognition.  Some love public forms of recognition while others prefer private.  A pat on the back may do for one person and cash in the bank may work better for the next.  Some would rather take less now than hold out for more later and vice versa.   The key to recognition is that it needs to be contextual and timely.  It has to be aligned with the individual value set and it needs to be given at the right time and place.

This is why awareness and attention are such critical aspects of recognition.  You need to be aware of the key aims, strategies, action plans, and actors.  You need to keep track of what is happening, who is doing what, and when they are doing it.  The One Minute Manager offers a great approach to recognition:  On the spot recognition.  Keep an eye out for any and all opportunities to recognize good and not so good behavior and actions.  That means that recognition can also be effective when you identify and recognize something out of alignment.  Properly addressing the unacceptable items such as a behavior or a lack of action can send a strong message that the aim is important and that you are paying attention to it.  Balance is key to the recognition process.  Spread recognition around when deserved both in a positive and negative way.  Too much either way can deter accomplishment.   Moments of Truth, a book co-written by an old friend of mine, Robert Fritz, provides another interesting approach to recognition. It is somewhat similar to The One Minute Manager.  I recommend you read it.

One final point about recognition: Rewards and punishments need to be delivered timely and clearly.  You are getting recognized and rewarded for XYZ on this date, as it contributed to ABC.   Or, you are getting recognized and not rewarded (punished) because of XYZ as it did not contribute to ABC.

Stay highly aware of all activities regarding the key aims, strategies, etc.  Pay close attention to what the actors are or are not doing at all times.  Keep a very tight feedback loop on all the key parts of the accomplishment process system. This way you can best accomplish the following:

• Acknowledge (the good and the bad) just in time and context
• Provide approval (or disapproval) quickly
• Demonstrate sincere appreciation
• Generously reward highly aligned and effective results related to the key aims

Recognition may appear last on this list of Leadership Activities, but can be effective at all phases of the accomplishment process.

Recognize well.  Accomplish better.

The BEST is Yet to Come!

Epi Torres, CEO