A Culture of Gratitude and Social Recognition

You can start to change your team and culture almost immediately by creating a culture of gratitude through social recognition. 

According to the book, Making Human Work, social recognition is recognizing and rewarding the people you work with. It is the foundation for creating a powerful, inclusive culture because it reinforces the things that are important and valued, and it gives everybody purpose and meaning through gratitude.

When we thank each other, praise each other, or show gratitude, it teaches and/or reinforces good behavior and/or performance. It also brings us closer together and makes us a more connected team.

What we talk about, recognize, and celebrate, we get more of. Social recognition leads to more. It leads to more good feelings, more gratitude, more optimism, more energy and enthusiasm, and more visibility into what ‘good’ looks like. What we talk about, recognize, and celebrate communicates what is important to us. Talk about, recognize, and celebrate the things that your team has identified as important. 

If you don't know what is important to your athletes, just ask them!

Making Human Work says that peer-to-peer interaction builds community. Coaches and leaders can, and should, initiate and lead cultural change by teaching and modeling important principles like belonging and inclusion, but real community and culture are built and reinforced in the thousands of little interactions made every day by everybody on the team.

Teams with the best cultures are teams that TALK, THANK and CELEBRATE each other regularly. Talking to, thanking, and celebrating your teammates builds trust. It also creates a 'team story' or narrative of how people accomplish goals and overcome adversity by working together.

Teammate interactions are where culture really exists; not in words in a vision or mission statement, but in the daily thoughts and interactions we have with each other.

One simple thing you can do to create more social recognition is to establish an expectation that anytime someone gives you a good pass, point at them. Tell the team that the point means, ‘I see you and thank you.’

To find other ways to recognize each other in easy, meaningful, and impactful ways, ask your team, “What are some ways that we can recognize each other for doing good things?” Empower and amplify their voice so that they take ownership over the process.

What is the culture that you are leading or a part of? What does it do well? What could it do better?

Do This:

1 - Immediate feedback is memorable. Say "Thank you" and "Good job" regularly. We are wired to need frequent reminders of our value to our team. It becomes a part of the team's story. 

2 - Always ask yourself, "Am I building or hurting OUR culture by our words and actions." We learn best through self-reflection.

3 - Tell your team, "Great teams recognize and celebrate each other for doing great things. It can help connect us. What are some easy, meaningful, and impactful ways that we can recognize and celebrate each other?

References: 

Mosley, Eric, and Irvine, Derek. Making Human Work. Globoforce Limited, 2020.