SUMMARY POINTS
You’ve been working - wait, scratch that. You’ve been leading the project for several solid months.
You are the centerpiece of it all. You’re the air traffic controller managing every single aspect of the project from high-level strategy and all the way down to the nitty-gritty details.
Nothing has escaped your attention and nothing has fallen through the cracks.
You follow up on to-do’s and requests with exacting accuracy. Every day you get in the zone and kick ass. You’re on top of everything.
You’ve been coordinating meetings with all the right people from all the different departments and groups so that every task gets done to move the project forward another step and another and so on.
Working late nights and even on some weekends, you persevere and work your ass off.
With your unwavering focus and fortitude, the project gets done right and on time. There are no problems, issues, crises, etc. You nailed it.
But...here’s the rub.
Pretty much nobody gives you any kudos, congratulations, attaboys, pats on the back, high-fives, etc.
It’s crickets. This is such bullshit.
You work your fucking ass off and the project is a success. And yet, nobody recognizes the blood, sweat and tears that you endured and all of the sacrifices you made to get this project across the finish line.
This shit stops today.
You deserve recognition for your efforts.
You are the centerpiece of it all. You’re the air traffic controller managing every single aspect of the project from high-level strategy and all the way down to the nitty-gritty details.
Nothing has escaped your attention and nothing has fallen through the cracks.
You follow up on to-do’s and requests with exacting accuracy. Every day you get in the zone and kick ass. You’re on top of everything.
You’ve been coordinating meetings with all the right people from all the different departments and groups so that every task gets done to move the project forward another step and another and so on.
Working late nights and even on some weekends, you persevere and work your ass off.
With your unwavering focus and fortitude, the project gets done right and on time. There are no problems, issues, crises, etc. You nailed it.
But...here’s the rub.
Pretty much nobody gives you any kudos, congratulations, attaboys, pats on the back, high-fives, etc.
It’s crickets. This is such bullshit.
You work your fucking ass off and the project is a success. And yet, nobody recognizes the blood, sweat and tears that you endured and all of the sacrifices you made to get this project across the finish line.
This shit stops today.
You deserve recognition for your efforts.
Getting Recognition Matters - A Lot
There is no better way to feel appreciated than by getting praised for your hard work.
When this happens, you’re getting rewarded for your contributions. You feel a sense of ownership, which in turn encourages you to keep the momentum going on future projects.
Recognition truly gives an organization-wide boost and will even increase the chances that everyone will help each other even more.
When you get the spotlight for your kickass work, it’s the cherry on top of it all. It’ll transform you from just a clock-in, clock-out employee to one who wants to better themselves.
And, because of these feel-good vibes, your physiological responses follow in lock-step. You get boosts of dopamine and endorphins - both of which are happy hormones that help to offset all the stress.
Think about it this way - on the rare occasions that you did get some recognition at work, it had a positive cascading effect on you for the rest of the day.
Not much could knock you off your high, not even the asshole drivers on the commute home. And, you probably slept like a baby that night too.
From an organizational perspective, recognizing employees has a lot of positive effects.
Recognition not only reduces turnover, but can also help to grow talent from within the organization.
In this study published in the Journal of Management Science, an experiment was conducted where employees were randomly recognized for their efforts. The result was that their productivity increased.
Employees want to work harder to get more of that great praise. It creates a positive upward spiral. Sometimes, it’s actually better than some kick-ass work perks.
Employee recognition makes it easier for everyone to see each other’s positive attributes and builds more trust among the team. It creates a self-perpetuating loop of goodness.
This often permeates and gets instilled into the company’s products and services which ultimately helps profitability.
It’s good for you, everyone in the company and for the business itself.
When this happens, you’re getting rewarded for your contributions. You feel a sense of ownership, which in turn encourages you to keep the momentum going on future projects.
Recognition truly gives an organization-wide boost and will even increase the chances that everyone will help each other even more.
When you get the spotlight for your kickass work, it’s the cherry on top of it all. It’ll transform you from just a clock-in, clock-out employee to one who wants to better themselves.
And, because of these feel-good vibes, your physiological responses follow in lock-step. You get boosts of dopamine and endorphins - both of which are happy hormones that help to offset all the stress.
Think about it this way - on the rare occasions that you did get some recognition at work, it had a positive cascading effect on you for the rest of the day.
Not much could knock you off your high, not even the asshole drivers on the commute home. And, you probably slept like a baby that night too.
From an organizational perspective, recognizing employees has a lot of positive effects.
Recognition not only reduces turnover, but can also help to grow talent from within the organization.
In this study published in the Journal of Management Science, an experiment was conducted where employees were randomly recognized for their efforts. The result was that their productivity increased.
Employees want to work harder to get more of that great praise. It creates a positive upward spiral. Sometimes, it’s actually better than some kick-ass work perks.
Employee recognition makes it easier for everyone to see each other’s positive attributes and builds more trust among the team. It creates a self-perpetuating loop of goodness.
This often permeates and gets instilled into the company’s products and services which ultimately helps profitability.
It’s good for you, everyone in the company and for the business itself.
How To Get The Recognition You Deserve
A lot of people work day-in and day-out not getting the kudos they deserve, especially when they go above and beyond to get things done.
The unfortunate thing is that very few companies have a culture of highlighting and recognizing employee achievements. Sucks.
In most cases, everyone is just doing their own thing and just trying to stay on top of their own work. The machine just keeps humming along.
This former CEO of Yum! Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell) understands your plight. He’s had tens of thousands of employees reporting to him.
Here’s his view and solution in this 5-minute video clip.
VIDEO: Feeling Unrecognized?
YOUTUBE: Big Think
LENGTH: 4:38
The unfortunate thing is that very few companies have a culture of highlighting and recognizing employee achievements. Sucks.
In most cases, everyone is just doing their own thing and just trying to stay on top of their own work. The machine just keeps humming along.
This former CEO of Yum! Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell) understands your plight. He’s had tens of thousands of employees reporting to him.
Here’s his view and solution in this 5-minute video clip.
VIDEO: Feeling Unrecognized?
YOUTUBE: Big Think
LENGTH: 4:38
Summary points:
Just like many things in life, this isn’t going to be served up to you on a silver platter all the time. And, if you’re in the kind of organization that isn’t tuned into giving recognition, then it’s gonna take some effort.
You have to take action and do something about it or else nothing will happen.
Here are the top ways to get the kudos you deserve.
You have to take action and do something about it or else nothing will happen.
Here are the top ways to get the kudos you deserve.
1) Share Your Project Success At Team Meetings
There’s a difference between gloating and celebrating. The former is really undeserved and unearned showmanship while the latter is sharing your enthusiasm for true accomplishments.
You have to share your successes, no matter how small they may be. Share your slam dunks with the team at your weekly meetings and you’ll be getting a few high-fives for sure.
It could be that you found a creative solution to last week’s roadblock, developed a new workaround to get past an obstacle or even more simply that you nailed a kickass whiteboard presentation.
Become a source of good news during team meetings and you’ll trigger a positive trend and the good vibes will spread.
You have to share your successes, no matter how small they may be. Share your slam dunks with the team at your weekly meetings and you’ll be getting a few high-fives for sure.
It could be that you found a creative solution to last week’s roadblock, developed a new workaround to get past an obstacle or even more simply that you nailed a kickass whiteboard presentation.
Become a source of good news during team meetings and you’ll trigger a positive trend and the good vibes will spread.
2) Post Milestone Achievements On LinkedIn
LinkedIn is essentially Facebook for business professionals and if you don’t have an account, get started with our article on LinkedIn for beginners.
When you’ve achieved a significant milestone at work or in your career, post it up in your LinkedIn account and share the success.
This could be things like earning that certification or degree, launching the new product, getting the marketing campaign launched, etc.
Not only will you get a bunch of kudos from your network, but you’ll also be able to mark that milestone achievement in your LinkedIn profile. And before you know it, there’ll be a few headhunters knocking on your door.
And when it happens, don’t ignore recruiters. They’ll open new doors for you.
When you’ve achieved a significant milestone at work or in your career, post it up in your LinkedIn account and share the success.
This could be things like earning that certification or degree, launching the new product, getting the marketing campaign launched, etc.
Not only will you get a bunch of kudos from your network, but you’ll also be able to mark that milestone achievement in your LinkedIn profile. And before you know it, there’ll be a few headhunters knocking on your door.
And when it happens, don’t ignore recruiters. They’ll open new doors for you.
3) Share Your Wins With Your Boss
Most everyone has got a weekly meeting with their boss. Instead of just going through the normal routine of discussing project updates and issues, be sure to include your wins from last week.
It’s all too common for these kinds of one-on-one meetings to focus only on problems. And while it’s important to solve these problems and ask for support, it’s also important to share the good news.
Make it a habit to always share at least one key accomplishment with your boss. Explain what you did to overcome the challenge and how you sorted it all out.
Do this consistently enough and your weekly meeting can be a reliable source of happiness for both you and your boss.
It’s all too common for these kinds of one-on-one meetings to focus only on problems. And while it’s important to solve these problems and ask for support, it’s also important to share the good news.
Make it a habit to always share at least one key accomplishment with your boss. Explain what you did to overcome the challenge and how you sorted it all out.
Do this consistently enough and your weekly meeting can be a reliable source of happiness for both you and your boss.
4) Celebrate Victories With Your Work BFF
Even in the most dismal of workplaces, everyone’s got that one person that they can confide in and openly share their thoughts and emotions with. It’s your work BFF.
It’s the one coworker that understands and knows about all the hard work you put in to get things done. And, how you don’t get enough credit for all the crap you deal with and yet still finish everything on time.
When you’ve hit a homerun on a project or even more simply, gotten on first base with a key task completed, share your enthusiasm with your work BFF.
It’s important to celebrate victories because it’ll help to keep your momentum going.
It doesn’t need to be anything formal. Just a text message, chat or email is all that’s needed. When you share the good vibes, it’ll help to bring some positivity to them too.
It’s the one coworker that understands and knows about all the hard work you put in to get things done. And, how you don’t get enough credit for all the crap you deal with and yet still finish everything on time.
When you’ve hit a homerun on a project or even more simply, gotten on first base with a key task completed, share your enthusiasm with your work BFF.
It’s important to celebrate victories because it’ll help to keep your momentum going.
It doesn’t need to be anything formal. Just a text message, chat or email is all that’s needed. When you share the good vibes, it’ll help to bring some positivity to them too.
5) Use Karma And Give Others Recognition
You’ve heard of the cliche “what goes around comes around” right?
It’s a kind of like a spiritual principle where what you do to others or what you put out into the universe is what will come back to you later on.
So, buck the trend and be the change you want to see in the organization by recognizing others for their contributions and efforts. Take the initiative.
In many cases, the recipient getting the kudos will return the favor. However, don’t get all pissy if this doesn’t happen.
Oftentimes, karma won’t return the favor immediately. It takes some time. It could be a few days or even weeks before you experience the goodness returned. But rest assured that it will come back to you.
Be proud of the fact that your actions are letting happiness happen more often at work.
It’s a kind of like a spiritual principle where what you do to others or what you put out into the universe is what will come back to you later on.
So, buck the trend and be the change you want to see in the organization by recognizing others for their contributions and efforts. Take the initiative.
In many cases, the recipient getting the kudos will return the favor. However, don’t get all pissy if this doesn’t happen.
Oftentimes, karma won’t return the favor immediately. It takes some time. It could be a few days or even weeks before you experience the goodness returned. But rest assured that it will come back to you.
Be proud of the fact that your actions are letting happiness happen more often at work.
6) Don’t Be Humble, Claim The Credit
If you were the sole reason why the project or task was completed successfully, then let others know. This is not the time to be humble and introverted.
You gotta claim your prize - the credit.
Announce to the group that it was because of your effort and focus that it got done. Provide the key points, not the entire story, of how you knocked it out of the park.
Explain it more like a best-practices lesson and less like a showmanship episode. It’ll boost your cred and up your personal brand in the office.
You gotta claim your prize - the credit.
Announce to the group that it was because of your effort and focus that it got done. Provide the key points, not the entire story, of how you knocked it out of the park.
Explain it more like a best-practices lesson and less like a showmanship episode. It’ll boost your cred and up your personal brand in the office.
7) Treat Yourself With Self-Recognition
While others may not know all the details of what you did and how much you busted your ass, you know everything that you did all the way down to the micro details of every single piece of grunt work.
You can always rely on yourself for some well-deserved mental high-fives. You gotta be your own best cheerleader and do your little happy dance and fist pumps.
This is when you should totally book some “me-time” to reward yourself and go do what you really enjoy doing for fun and/or relaxation.
You can always rely on yourself for some well-deserved mental high-fives. You gotta be your own best cheerleader and do your little happy dance and fist pumps.
This is when you should totally book some “me-time” to reward yourself and go do what you really enjoy doing for fun and/or relaxation.
Kudos Coming Your Way!
The next big project is coming your way soon. Your boss has already given you a heads up that you’ll be taking the lead. No other person was considered for the project.
Why?
Because they know you’ll get it done. And, you will for sure.
But this time, it’s gonna be different.
No more passively sitting back and being timid about showcasing your capabilities and highlighting your progress and wins.
This time everyone will know that when this project passes each key milestone and eventually crosses the finish line, it’s because of your kick-ass skills and task management.
You’ll be getting all the kudos and justifiably so because you’ll be earning every single bit of it.
All of the recognition will do wonders for you, helping you manage work stress and making your job awesomer and work life leaps and bounds better.
It’s gonna happen.
Take action and get ready for the spotlight!
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]
Why?
Because they know you’ll get it done. And, you will for sure.
But this time, it’s gonna be different.
No more passively sitting back and being timid about showcasing your capabilities and highlighting your progress and wins.
This time everyone will know that when this project passes each key milestone and eventually crosses the finish line, it’s because of your kick-ass skills and task management.
You’ll be getting all the kudos and justifiably so because you’ll be earning every single bit of it.
All of the recognition will do wonders for you, helping you manage work stress and making your job awesomer and work life leaps and bounds better.
It’s gonna happen.
Take action and get ready for the spotlight!
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]