The Hazards of Recognition
We’ve all done it. You get the newsletter or magazine (most likely in digital format these days) and you scour the text for mention of your name. It must be in there SOMEWHERE because you contributed a lot of time and energy to a project for the organization. Not only did you contribute, but you were also the leader of the project – of course your name will be mentioned prominently (likely in BOLD type) and you will receive recognition and thanks from your peers for a job well done.
You flip or scroll through page after page, wondering when you will find it. By the time you get to the end, you are disheartened, maybe a little sad, and likely frustrated. Why wasn’t my name even mentioned? The only thing you found was a broad “thank you to our volunteers who made things happen.”
Another scenario: as a volunteer, you put in a lot of effort to pull together a project. You were the leader; you did most of the research; you did most of the writing; you coordinated all the efforts of the volunteer team. You worked directly with the staff to make it happen successfully. When you read the “thank you” not only do you notice that everyone’s name is listed – you see that your name is not even first. It is listed near the end, as if everyone did the same amount of work.
In either situation, would you be highly motivated to contribute again?
As grown-ups, we like to think we will “take the high road” and do the right thing for the right reason and not care who gets the credit. But we are grown-up HUMANS; humans need to feel a sense of belonging, recognition, and respect (see Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs).
Thanking people is not enough. HOW we thank people is what matters.
Blanket “thank you to our volunteers” messages are lame. They are a CYA approach because maybe the person doing the thanking doesn’t want to take the time to do it right, but they also don’t want to get in trouble for missing someone. That approach causes a different type of ill feeling.
Now, dear reader, you may ask: Okay, you seem to know so much, what is the right way to thank people?
I’m glad you asked. Here’s my checklist:
1. Spell everyone’s name right. Double check it. Triple check it. If you still make a mistake with the spelling, apologize and print a correction. (Example: My name is Cecilia, NOT Cecelia. Or Cecily. Or Celia. Or Cydney. Or Cynthia. Yes, I have been addressed by all these names at one time or another.)
2. Be specific when thanking someone. Don’t say something like “your contributions are so important.” Well, what exactly did they do? (Example: Thank you for serving as the volunteer editor of the association’s newsletter; your suggestion for a series on new regulations really helped our members.)
3. Distribute the praise as it should be distributed. Despite what Yogi Berra said about “90% of life is just showing up” I think he’d want his players to do something on the field and not just stand around looking at each other. If someone is leading a committee or project, and you know they did most of the work, then point that out. List their name first; point out that they led the work and made sure the project happened. Don’t lump their name in with everyone else’s as if everyone did the same amount of work. You’ve been on a committee -- think about it.
4. Take the time to write a personal email or note to someone when they contribute. (Yes, emails are just as appreciated!) It doesn’t have to be long but a sincere message acknowledging someone’s contributions has value and meaning.
5. Recognize as many people as you can, all the time. Don’t wait for the annual conference or awards season. Send notes; publish kudos online; set aside a page in your newsletter or magazine for recognition.
Every day, we interact with each other. Every day, we help each other in ways big and small. The world will be a better place when we take the time to show appreciation for what we do for each other.
