My least favourite comment on LinkedIn:
“Congrats Danny! 🎉”
I get the intended sentiment.
But it’s a one-click, pre-fabricated response provided by LinkedIn.
A one-size-fits-all praise approach.
And I’m not a fan of praise.
I’m a fan of recognition.
Many managers praise:
“Sarah is a fantastic agent, who always goes the extra mile for her customers.”
However, we could replace Sarah’s name with another, and it would still apply to many of our people.
Recognition is much more influential than praise.
Recognition is personal, specific, and emotive.
It identifies what Sarah did, the impact and, if possible, how it made the recogniser feel.
“Thank you for helping with the service project on Tuesday, Sarah. You doing that meant I had more time to invest in coaching the team, which has already seen them start to grow together. I really appreciate it.”
Recognition says “I see you – and I want to take the time to personally share why you matter.”
Recognition is not one-click.
