Paying Attention Pays Dividends

There’s an A-player on the team. Olivia. She crushes it. You can hand her anything, and you know it’s in good hands. She is dependable, takes the initiative, and manages the details. 

Then a big project comes along, the one everyone has discussed for months, and it seems the stars have finally aligned to begin. Immediately, you know who will take the lead; you know Olivia can and will do it right. You don’t think twice.

Then she turns in her two-week notice.

What happened? You had not even considered that she might be ready to leave. 

That could be the problem - she was so dependable you stopped thinking about it.

The Bad Kind of Invisibility Cloak

At work, have you ever felt passed over? Ignored? Like the work you do is unnoticed?

It’s a slippery slope - and often starts slowly - but if left unchecked, it can quickly turn to resentment, resignation, and eventually turnover. 

There are telltale internal signals when you feel invisible. You may begin feeling your motivation draining, feeling resentful when others are celebrated (beyond momentary jealousy), dreading putting in extra hours (or even regular hours), etc.

As invisibility grows and the dissatisfaction spreads, turnover increases - slowly at first, then in bursts. 

Applied Acknowledgment 

One of the strongest motivations for humans is doing well and receiving acknowledgment for it. We are hard-wired for social connection, constantly watching our social status to ensure we are doing our part  - and that we are noticed for it. In hunter-gatherer days, this was essential to survival - if the tribe cast us out, the world became exponentially more dangerous. Conversely, if we were essential and seen as essential, we sleep easier knowing our safety is secure. 

Without the existential threat of exile, modern-day lack of acknowledgment transforms into languishing. We feel melancholy, unimportant, and wandering through our days with little change. We wonder if we are making a difference and whether we are noticed. In short, we wonder if we matter.

As leaders, we have the opportunity to stop this unhelpful train of thoughts in its tracks by paying diligent attention to our people. When the team succeeds, celebrate them: call out individual contributions, give raises and promotions outside of a performance review cycle, note improvements in your team as soon as you see them, and make sure to watch for those that may feel outside of the group.

When someone makes a mistake, we are often quick to call it out, but it’s easy to wait to deliver compliments. These two impulses drain motivation quickly, one immediately and the other over time. 

Actively noting the accomplishments of your team will pay dividends in the near and long term. You can try practicing “now-that” rewards rather than “if-then” rewards. For example, instead of promising your team a pizza and the end of a project, take everyone to a surprise happy hour for a job well done after the fact. The surprise, acknowledgment, and release of a “now-that” reward are more motivating than dangling a carrot. This is particularly true given that most people have already worked at jobs that have promised rewards and failed to deliver. 

For more excellent tips on motivation, check out Drive by Daniel Pink.

With diligence and gratitude for the hours your team works, you can build greater cooperation, creativity, and productivity while feeling real enjoyment in the collaboration.