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QOTD: Recognition

Susan Quinn
@SusanQuinn
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Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. -- Abraham Lincoln We all have goals: We want to matter. We want to be important. We want to have freedom and power to pursue our creative work. We want respect from our peers and recognition for our accomplishments. Not out of vanity or selfishness, but of an earnest desire to fulfill our personal potential. -- Ryan Holiday

In some ways, recognition has gotten a bad rap. Parents got into the habit of giving participation trophies or for over-praising their children for ordinary tasks. In a sense, many people felt they were entitled to be recognized, when in fact they hadn’t done anything praiseworthy. They often expected to get recognized just for doing their jobs. But recognition does have a special place in our culture, for those who go beyond the commonplace.

When I retired, I didn’t realize one aspect of working that I would be missing: recognition. I had worked independently as a consultant and trainer for many years, and I interfaced with clients and their teams. The fact that they would hire me, work with me on internal issues, and commit to resolving them, was deeply rewarding. It was a type of recognition that I treasured, and I reciprocated by telling them how much I appreciated their risk-taking and hard work. In return, I would receive comments of gratitude, particularly for creating a safe environment.

Nowadays, my opportunities for recognition are fewer, but in many ways, they are more precious. When I make bereavement calls, the bereaved are sometimes reserved when they begin to answer my handful of questions, but in the end, they express their thanks for my checking in on them. There are probably few opportunities for them to openly express their grief and loss. Their ease in talking with me, and when they thank me for calling, are also a recognition of my approach to them, as they share stories and experiences.

I also receive recognition for my blogs at Convention of States. I love working with a team, and we make an effort to praise and encourage each other. Over time, I’m getting to know them better and enjoying the rapport we have with each other.

And then there is the recognition that I receive on Ricochet. The person who opens up my post recognizes that I just might have something to offer; the one who goes on to read what I’ve written pleases me even more. And those who decide my post has earned a “like” help me realize that I have something meaningful to say to them.

Whether a person only opens a post, reads it or likes it, I am deeply gratified for his or her recognition of my contribution.

So, when our actions reflect a special effort on our part, we want to be recognized for them. Every person benefits from recognition. Even greater than being recognized is recognizing the acts of others. Do you make a point to recognize the people around you, expressing your gratitude and acknowledging their actions?

This post was promoted to the Main Feed at the recommendation of Ricochet's members.

Discussion (19)

  • Misthiocracy has never@Misthiocracy
    Susan Quinn (View Post):

    Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. — Abraham Lincoln

    We all have goals: We want to matter. We want to be important. We want to have freedom and power to pursue our creative work. We want respect from our peers and recognition for our accomplishments. Not out of vanity or selfishness, but of an earnest desire to fulfill our personal potential. — Ryan Holiday

    "A little 'good work, well done' from time to time would really help ward off the existential fear of being fired, if only for a little while." - Misthiocracy

  • Susan Quinn@SusanQuinn
    ReplyingtoMisthiocracy has never

    Misthiocracy has never (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Post):

    Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. — Abraham Lincoln

    We all have goals: We want to matter. We want to be important. We want to have freedom and power to pursue our creative work. We want respect from our peers and recognition for our accomplishments. Not out of vanity or selfishness, but of an earnest desire to fulfill our personal potential. — Ryan Holiday

    “A little ‘good work, well done’ from time to time really helps keep existential fear of being fired away for a little while.” – Misthiocracy

    Is that your experience, Mis?

  • Randy Weivoda@RandyWeivoda
    Susan Quinn (View Post):
    Do you make a point to recognize the people around you, expressing your gratitude and acknowledging their actions?

    I think I do. There are some people who are philosophically opposed to this, though. Their idea is that you should scold someone if they make a mistake and say nothing if they do a task well, because everyone is supposed to do everything right all the time, anyway. Maybe I see a correlation where it doesn't exist due to my family's mostly German background, but this does seem to be a Germanic attitude.

  • Misthiocracy has never@Misthiocracy
    ReplyingtoSusan Quinn

    Misthiocracy has never (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Post):

    Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. — Abraham Lincoln

    We all have goals: We want to matter. We want to be important. We want to have freedom and power to pursue our creative work. We want respect from our peers and recognition for our accomplishments. Not out of vanity or selfishness, but of an earnest desire to fulfill our personal potential. — Ryan Holiday

    “A little ‘good work, well done’ from time to time really helps keep existential fear of being fired away for a little while.” – Misthiocracy

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    Is that your experience, Mis?

    I dunno. I've never had a boss say 'good work, well done'.

  • Susan Quinn@SusanQuinn
    ReplyingtoRandy Weivoda

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Post):

    Susan Quinn (View Post):
    Do you make a point to recognize the people around you, expressing your gratitude and acknowledging their actions?

    I think I do. There are some people who are philosophically opposed to this, though. Their idea is that you should scold someone if they make a mistake and say nothing if they do a task well, because everyone is supposed to do everything right all the time, anyway. Maybe I see a correlation where it doesn’t exist due to my family’s mostly German background, but this does seem to be a Germanic attitude.

    Actually my husband used to be like that. I convinced him that praising someone's work was important for multiple reasons. Funny, his mom's side of his family was German...

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