Appreciation – The Most Powerful Skill For Every Leader

by Erik Bergman

Modern leaders must possess a set of skills to distinguish themselves from the rest of the competition. Many consider these skills essential for running businesses and managing employees. But from all the skills modern leaders possess, appreciation ranks as the most powerful one.

Why exactly is appreciation highly valued for modern leaders? We will answer the question in this post. So with all that said, let’s dive in.

What Is Appreciation?

Some of you might be wondering, what is appreciation? Appreciation is the ability to recognize someone’s good qualities. In addition, appreciative leaders enjoy good employees and all the valuable work they put in towards their businesses.

So, in a sense, appreciation means saying “good job” or “thank you” whenever someone from your organization performs exceptionally. As one might imagine, being appreciative towards your employees is essential for boosting morale, motivation, productivity, and employee loyalty.

If you’re looking to launch a startup or a business, you must work on your inner qualities first. Among some of the skills, modern leaders look to develop, appreciation is considered the most powerful.

Why Is Appreciation Important for Modern Leaders?

Every skill a leader possesses brings value to their character and their business. So what does appreciation offer as a skill to today’s leaders? Let’s find out.

Increases Employee Loyalty

Employee turnaround is at an all-time high. Employees are more interested in earning a bigger salary than being part of something special. But we must investigate the reasons behind such thinking to determine why this happens accurately.

It’s safe to say employees aren’t interested in companies if the companies don’t value them. Appreciative leaders value their employees and want to keep them as integral cogs of the machine. Therefore, appreciative leaders show respect toward high-performing employees.

And in the end, they reward them. Being appreciative can also buy you more time to get your business in order to be able to offer a higher salary to employees.

Increase Employee Morale

High workplace morale is an essential component of a successful business. After all, you can’t expect employees to perform their day-to-day tasks if they lack the morale to come to the office.

But showing appreciation makes employees want to work for you. Therefore, it improves their day, as they know they are working for an organization that values their hard work. In addition, employees working for appreciative leaders know they can ask questions and favors without being turned down.

That’s not to say appreciative leaders will grant every wish, but they do encourage outside-the-box thinking. For example, if employees are doing a good job, an appreciative leader will notice it and reward it in some form.

Build Stronger Workplace Relationships

An organization is as strong as its weakest employee. So naturally, modern leaders look for strong, resilient employees who have excellent qualities.

By showing appreciation to every employee, you make it easier to build stronger workplace relationships. These relationships go beyond friendship and benefit everyone equally. If the organization is going through a rough patch, expect your employees to put in more work to avoid such situations.

How to Show Appreciation in the Workplace?

Now we come to the part of the guide where we tell you how leaders can show appreciation and, therefore, train the skill.

Showing appreciation towards your employees is anything but a complex task. The real challenge is knowing when to show it and when to show restraint.

Here are a few tips to help you show appreciation towards your employees and train the skill:

• Acknowledge Employee Accomplishments

Whenever an employee does a terrific job, acknowledge the good work immediately. Employees strive for acknowledgment of their deeds. By showing appreciation after a successful project, they get the “feel good” sense to keep them going at the same tempo, over and over again.

• Say “Thank You” During Team Meetings

Most employees dread team meetings as it takes valuable time away that can be used towards accomplishing goals. But team meetings don’t have to be dreaded universally by everyone – they can be fun, and your employees might look forward to them if you show appreciation.

At your next team meeting, make it a priority to recognize the good work of the most exceptional employees in your organization. The important thing is to do it publicly so other employees will want the same treatment.

Naturally, they will work harder to achieve exceptional results.

• Ignore Minor Mistakes

Mistakes happen all the time. Even successful entrepreneurs and exceptional leaders make mistakes. But mistakes shouldn’t be what defines a person. Sadly, some leaders give employees who make mistakes the cold shoulder.

While mistakes should be eradicated from the organization, minor mistakes should be ignored. If one of your employees makes a minor mistake that can be solved quickly, don’t punish them or reprimand them in front of the whole team. Instead, allow them to try again.

• Give Time Off When Needed

Modern leaders look for ways to reward employees for their good deeds. But unfortunately, while every employee values financial incentives the most, only some organizations are in a position to implement such a rewards system.

So when financial incentives aren’t possible, look to offer other rewards such as time off when needed. For example, make it a priority for your top-performing employees to get an extra one or two afternoons off each month.

Remember that appreciative leaders reward employees for their good deeds. But saying “thank you” all the time will mean nothing to your employees if you don’t reward them for their good work.

So, give financial rewards if possible. If not, give them the afternoon off.

Conclusion

Appreciation is one of the many skills leaders consider essential. But it’s also the most powerful skill modern leaders can possess. With appreciation comes increased morale, productivity, and employee loyalty.

The skill is important because it makes your organization stronger and more resilient.

 

Erik Bergman co-founded Catena Media and helped grow it to over 300 employees and a $200 million valuation before stepping away to start Great.com, an iGaming organization that donates 100% of its profits to environmental charities. In addition to running a successful online business, Erik also hosts the Becoming Great podcast, shares entrepreneurship tips with his more than 1 million social media followers, and contributes to sites like Entrepreneuer.com, Business Insider, Foundr, and Forbes.