Opportunity as Recognition
By Cindy Ventrice
"I was given a tough customer to assist. The underlying message was ‘We don't entrust really important relationships to just anybody. We believe in you. You have proven yourself.' After I was successful, they let me pick from a catalog of gifts. The opportunity was the recognition, but the mixer I selected reminds me of it-every time I walk into the kitchen."
Opportunity is recognition. Most managers weren't taught to think that way, but employees do. When I surveyed employees about meaningful recognition, the examples they provided most frequently were examples of opportunities they were given.
Along with respect, praise, and thanks, opportunity is one of the four key elements of recognition that works. While respect is the core element and must always be present, it is also the least tangible. It is hard to point to it and say "This is recognition." Praise and thanks are both important ways to tell someone they are appreciated, but opportunity… opportunity provides substantial proof that employees are valued.
Valued opportunities can take many forms. Promotion is the most obvious. A promotion tells everyone that this employee is ready to take on greater responsibility. It validates his or her importance. Employees also describe the recognition value of receiving training or coaching. Training is proof that they are worth investing in. Many describe new assignments and new responsibilities as valued opportunities. One employee said representing her boss on a panel discussion was an opportunity she will never forget. And as the opening story demonstrates even working with a difficult customer can be seen as a positive opportunity.
You might be thinking, "Not the people I work with. They are so busy that that a new opportunity would be perceived as nothing more than additional work to do." You wouldn't be the first manager to think this is true, especially as overworked as employees tend to be these days. Test out your theory, and you might be just as surprised as some of the managers I have coached and trained.
Tech Manager: "It was surprising to discover for myself that people really do want to get involved in new things even though they already have so much to do."
Regional VP of Sales: "I asked an employee about his career aspirations. He said no one had ever cared enough to ask before."
What opportunities can you provide for employees? It doesn't have to be as substantial as a promotion. Talk with them and identify a new skill they would like to develop or a talent they would like to use. Then give them an opportunity to develop the skill or use the talent, even if it is short term or for only a few hours a week. You will be surprised at the renewed energy your people bring to the workplace.
