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Viewing Posts by Judy Umlas
Show Your Appreciation
| Acknowledging people for the contribution they make to a project team or to their organization is such a simple matter. It's something I say repeatedly wherever I can get on my "soapbox": We can acknowledge people at any time, at no cost, without having to buy anything, install software or study an instruction manual. Last night my soapbox was a live webinar attended primarily by project managers from all over the world, including Hong Kong, China, India, Brazil and the United States. During the seminar I asked participants, "How do you feel when you complete a project that you put your whole heart, soul, body, mind and spirit into for the past several months, the users love the end result and your manager gives you nothing more than a quick 'thank you?" This was the response via text chat: Thomas: discouraged Tanya: feel used Srikrithiga: not interested to work James: discouraged Suganthi: Discouraged James: feel indifferent Sanjib: feeling of being empty--what was I doing all the time? Ravindra: No motivation Tanya: I won't give my best effort Linda: lack of loyalty Linda: feeling insecure, not as interested in working so hard Fabricio: lack of motivation Jade: feel not being valued, lack of respect Then I asked, "How do you feel if your manager tells you what a difference your work made to the project team, how your contribution made the project a success, how much the users loved it, that she was getting wonderful feedback on it, and that the next time you would get more resources so you didn't have to work so many nights and weekends?" And they answered: James: I would feel appreciated; that motivates me Shelley: Motivated...willing to give an even greater effort Linda: enthusiastic Ravindra: I would make extra efforts Mariano: I would feel like a giant Jade: more loyalty Linda Benedict: my confidence would be boosted by the acknowledgement Srikrithiga: I would give 200% for work Performance, loyalty, engagement, confidence, motivation, self-worth are all functions of acknowledgment rather than compensation. Especially during these challenging economic times--when everyone is working harder and having to do more--let's do our best to create a culture of appreciation in which people know their value and their worth. There could be nothing simpler and more satisfying and with greater results. |
The Double Paycheck
| Organizations always seem to be looking for ways to keep major talent engaged and loyal. Simple as it sounds, they need look no further than making sure that they have created a culture of appreciation. I have heard acknowledgments referred to as "the double paycheck," which I think is very fitting. Even people who earn less than they feel they should, will dig in and engage fully if that other "paycheck" comes regularly. After a presentation I made to the PMI Information Systems Specific Interest Group last year at its Professional Development Day, a woman came up to me and told me that she had just left a high-paying, senior-level job, with no other job lined up. She left it, she said, because she hadn't realized that her former job at Booz Allen Hamilton was really a dream job. Although it probably wasn't the best job in the world, there was a culture of appreciation at that company that made it a pleasure to come to work each day. "I am going back there," she said emphatically. "Even if the job pays less and the level is lower, I don't care. I didn't realize what a difference the atmosphere of a company makes. At the job [after Booz Allen Hamilton], I didn't know my worth or my value and I didn't feel appreciated for anything that I did. I'm going back to Booz Allen Hamilton, no matter what." I later discussed this example with a Booz Allen Hamilton partner. "Oh," she laughed. "We call those the 'come-back kids' and we welcome them back once they realize what they were missing." And yes, it is a part of the company's philosophy and its mission to have a culture of appreciation. They most certainly seem to be doing something right. So what is that double paycheck worth? Everything! |
Creating an Acknowledgment Culture
| I recently presented a keynote session on the power of acknowledgment to 800 attendees at a global project management conference in Helsinki, Finland. Before my presentation, I kept hearing project managers say things like: "In Finland you know you are being acknowledged when your boss says, 'That wasn't too bad a job that you did.'" They told me repeatedly that acknowledgment was just not done in Finland. I'd heard a similar trend in Germany--being acknowledged is when your boss doesn't say anything to you, I was told. Now, I'm a perpetually optimistic person who always tells people they can single-handedly be agents for dramatic and powerful change--that it only takes one person to start the process. If someone acknowledges others in a heartfelt and authentic way, it will start to catch on. But an entire culture? Could 800 project managers turn a whole culture around? Even I had my doubts. During my presentation, I invited everyone to think of one person in their professional life that wanted, needed and deserved their acknowledgment but to whom they had never fully delivered it. Two brave people stood up and shared their profound and heartfelt acknowledgments of their Finnish bosses--who just happened to be in the audience! Each time I asked both the acknowledger and the acknowledgee to stand. People in the audience were deeply moved and said this kind of exchange never occurs in Finland. Well, it did. Just because something is missing from a culture does not mean that it is not desirable or essential. Acknowledgment is, I believe, a basic human need, no matter what one's cultural conditioning. I have since received e-mails from people in Finland telling me they've started to acknowledgment colleagues and family members in a profound and sincere way and are extremely pleased with the results. So I'm now becoming confident enough to say that yes, one project manager can certainly begin to change a culture. Now just think of what 800 can do! Germany, stay tuned! |
Acknowledging Young Team Members
Categories:
Teams
Categories: Teams
| Here's another interesting question I received from a student in the University of Maryland's e-Business and Project Management Program conflicts resolution course: I enjoyed the book and I, too, am convinced that recognizing someone for a job well done makes them feel appreciated for their efforts. There is another side to this coin, however, that I think needs to be addressed. The generation currently entering the workforce expects to be praised for everything they do. Being raised in an era when everyone is a winner so as not to hurt their feelings and where everyone gets an award just for participating, they come into the workplace thinking that any accomplishment no matter how small should somehow be recognized. What would you do in a situation like this so as to keep them engaged yet not play into their feelings that they are somehow entitled to praise? John We keep hearing that young people have been so over-validated and acknowledged for the most meager of contributions that they now expect it wherever they go. The generation gap is well established in the United States, but I checked with some colleagues in Europe and Asia who report the same issues there. Younger workers seem to be getting a bad rap simply for being different from their older colleagues--and that's not entirely fair. Elizabeth Kearney, Ph.D. says in the article "It Takes Six Steps to Build a Cross Generational Team," these younger people have been encouraged to: 1. Step out and discover new ways to do things 2. Move quickly 3. Feel free to ask questions and expect them to be answered 4. Believe in themselves and their ideas 5. Use a team approach to solving problems 6. Readily share their views 7. Expect praise for their actions, which means that they may well react negatively when told "no." 8. Expect help when it is needed--coaching, support and/or encouragement These are not bad qualities. They are excellent, action-oriented, results-producing characteristics if properly utilized and appreciated by project leaders and key stakeholders. We want to validate these people for the ways they help us meet our project goals, stay within our timelines and meet our budgets. But the way we deliver this form of praise needs to be quick, specific, clear, yet heartfelt. If they expect praise for their actions, give it to them--but only when it is deserved. |
The Power of Acknowledgment
Categories:
Communications Management
Categories: Communications Management
| When the University of Maryland University College Graduate School of Management & Technology e-Business and Project Management Program adopted my book, The Power of Acknowledgment, for one of their courses, I began leading live, interactive online seminars once a semester. Several students sent me discussion questions ahead of time. These questions from these adult learners in critical jobs have been very thought provoking, and I wanted to share my thoughts on one of them. Others to follow... Question: "How do I handle a supervisor that doesn't give acknowledgments? ... It has gotten so bad, that I'm happy when he doesn't come to work and I have to deal with his supervisor who has a totally different management style. I think you may have some ideas that I can use." And I do: • Create a culture of appreciation in your organization. You personally can be a champion of change in your team's or department's or your company's culture. I know this sounds difficult, but you can start the process by making sure to acknowledge both your peers and the people who report to you in a heartfelt and authentic way. Your example will start generating a desire to "pay it forward" and after a time your manager won't be able to ignore the shift he or she is seeing around him or her. • Acknowledge upwards! I believe our managers or bosses are among the most under-acknowledged people in the workplace. And even a boss who doesn't give acknowledgment can see and feel the impact of being acknowledged truthfully and in a heartfelt manner. And yes, you may have to really search for that acknowledgment but I promise you, something worthy of being acknowledged for is there. • Speak as off the record as possible to your "grand-boss." (i.e. your manager's manager.) There is some risk here of word getting back to your manager but it depends on how desperate you are, in order to see if this approach makes sense. • Know how much you can take. If the lack of acknowledgment and appreciation is too devastating for you, you may have to request a transfer to another department or even leave the company. This is not an action to consider except as a last resort. E-mail me your questions about establishing a culture of appreciation throughout your organization, and about using the power of acknowledgment to create miracles on project teams, in your departments and throughout your organization. You will be amazed at the results once you start using the power of acknowledgment. Editor's Note: Judy Umlas is author of The Power of Acknowledgment, published by International Institute for Learning Inc. through IIL Publishing, New York. |