How To Make Employees Feel Appreciated

Appreciation is an underutilized part of organizational life.

It’s not that leaders think they don’t need to make employees feel appreciated. Most are in agreement that showing appreciation for great work is key to a positive organizational culture. And the research supports that belief. But most organizations equate appreciation with rewards. They create bonus structures and giftgiving programs. But most research shows its expressions of gratitude that move the needle on feeling appreciated. And while saying something heartfelt while giving your team new coffee mugs might have some effect, it’s the daytoday ways leaders express gratitude that really matter.

So in this episode, we’ll review four ways leaders can help make employees feel appreciated—we’ll cover the research and some practical ways to get started.

0:00 Introduction
1:36 Touch Base Early And Often
2:47 Give Unscheduled Feedback
4:27 Be Flexible And Trust
5:29 Talk Growth
6:56 Conclusion

Unlike gifts or awards, these four methods are not onetime offerings to people. They’re habits. Their effects may feel minimal at first, but they will grow in potency over time. Leaders who make their employees feel appreciated do so over the longhaul. Because the way to let employees know you care and that you support them, is to show them a track record of care and support. And overtime, that will prove how much they’re appreciated. And over even more time, that appreciation will help employees do their best work ever.


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One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forwardthinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the bestselling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a soughtafter international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

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