The secret weapon of “appreciation.”

It’s been said that financial compensation isn’t the most important benefit to employment.  The most important element is appreciation.  Now, you can’t ask someone to work for free and expect them to enjoy it just because you say “well-done” a lot.  Appreciation goes much deeper than simple manners.

I worked for a company that had a contest.  Submitting compliments to coworkers for jobs well-done seemed kind of contrived.  But in retrospect, it forced me to look at all of the ways in which my coworkers were critical parts of the team.  This team I worked with achieved highly, and many of us have retained friendships since the days we worked together almost 2 decades ago.

Appreciation is validation of our efforts to contribute to the success of a relationship, family, business, or social group.  When you express appreciation in the workplace, you are telling someone that they have made the business more successful and a better place to work.  Correction and criticism are also a necessary part of increasing opportunities for appreciation. 

Don’t forget to appreciate each other.  When you make it a habit, it takes away from the time you used to have for bickering and back-biting.  You will also make your store a better place to work, and don’t we all want to be part of a successful team?