Acknowledgement, recognition, and feedback are distinctly similar, but also different. I want to help you understand the difference between theses three terms. These are three terms that are very loosely used within organisations, or even leadership.
Your team wants all three, and a lot of it. So, let’s look at them one by one.
- Positive feedback
The first one is positive feedback. Positive feedback is exactly what the word says. Giving a person feedback on a task that they have executed. So, it has a very task based on, ‘you have done this well, I like that. I’d like you to do it again, do more of that.’ So, that is really positive feedback.
- Acknowledgement
The second one is acknowledgement, which is where you acknowledge a person about their skills, their talents, their competencies, really their efforts that they’ve applied and utilised. Again, you can do that publicly, or you can do it privately.
- Recognition
The very last one is recognition, and recognition is the combination of positive feedback and acknowledgement, but in a public forum. So, you are actually emphasising that and saying thank you to somebody in a public forum. Being very mindful that not everybody appreciates recognition, they don’t appreciate being highlighted or mentioned in a public forum.
So, you do need to know your team because if you do that and they don’t appreciate it, you will actually get de-motivation and disengagement. So, then the feedback and the acknowledgement become very important. For many leaders, positive feedback, recognition, and acknowledgement doesn’t come easy. It’s something that they have to consciously put effort and their mind into, because many leaders think, ‘if I don’t say anything, surely, they know they’ve done a good job,’ but people want to receive it the whole time.
So, three strategies to go about providing these are:
Strategy 1
Reflect at the end of every day. Who really showed up today, who showed up at work, who went the extra mile? Doesn’t matter how big or small it was, but who did you notice?
Strategy 2
The second one is really make a note of it. What was it that was special about them showing up today? What really caught your attention or their eye?
Strategy 3
The third one is go and tell them the next morning. Go and put your hand on their shoulder and actually express your gratitude for them.
That is really how you continuously give regular feedback, recognition, and acknowledgement on a continuous basis. It doesn’t take so much effort. It really takes a more conscious eye for you and a reflection to see it and then to verbalise. So, I want to invite you to, at the end of every day, just perhaps take three minutes and think about your team. Who really went the extra mile today, who showed up and then tell them tomorrow and observe the change that will happen in your team over time. They will come alive if they receive this regularly.
Over to you for sharing your comments and experiences.
What are your thoughts on effective communication?
About the Author: Kerstin Jatho
Kerstin is the senior transformational coach and team development facilitator for 4Seeds Consulting. She is also the author of Growing Butterfly Wings, a book on applying positive psychology principles during a lengthy recovery. Her passion is to develop people-centred organisations where people thrive and achieve their potential in the workplace. You can find Kerstin on LinkedIn, Soundcloud, YouTube and Facebook.
