Based on interviews with hundreds of leaders since 2006, these 12 steps will help you to master effective appreciation. Effective appreciation worth millions of dollars. Leaders who harness the essence of appreciation are rewarded with higher engagement and trust.

1. 2020 Model of Effective Appreciation
Master effective appreciation

2. I mpact: Emphasize what is her or his positive impact on the organization.
P ride: Increasing employees’ pride in and loyalty to your organization through effective praise.
S pot: Train yourself to notice and focus more on what works well.
oon: When is the right time to praise?S
pecific: How to praise? Effective praise is not general .S
incerity: Give credible and honest praise.S
pace: Where is a good place to praise?S
ingle: Public recognition or individual praise?S
tretch: How to ignite self motivation to do even better?S
pread: Sharing the praise virally to recognize and inspire others.S
Delight – constantly upgrade your appreciation skills
upport: Do you provide the resources employees need to sustain high performance?S
urprise: Be creative - avoid praise fatigue.S

3. 01
IMPACT
Does your organization have a higher purpose?
Employees, especially the younger generations, are inspired and
feel motivated when they are aware that their actions add value to
a greater cause and contribute to the community and the world.
Help them understand their unique contribution:
When people understand their impact, they are intrinsically motivated. They
feel that the work that they do matters.
Share with them how their contribution positively affects their team and the
big picture helping your organization to achieve its business goals and higher
purpose.

4. PRIDE
Understanding the impact
of their contribution
increases your employees’
pride in what they do as
well as their sense of
belonging
Pride in their job
increases employees’
loyalty, motivation
and advocacy for
your organization
brand
Recognize:
Pride in the job arises
when passion leads to
results and efforts are
recognized
02

5. 03
Be on the look out.
SPOT THE GOOD!
Set a KPI to measure how
many positive things you
notice about others a day.
Retrain yourself to notice
what works well. Pay
attention to the good things
you see.
We are wired to look for what goes wrong, to
criticize and focus just on the results, often ignoring
the effort.
INSTEAD:
Three praises a day
keep the corporate
blues away.

6. Catch them in action when they are doing well
SOON
The sooner you praise, the
higher the impact
Make sure they notice
that you notice
Empower rapid peer
recognition that surfaces
upwards
There are mobile apps
that enables instant
recognition
Either praise them on the
spot or the same day, or
arrange time for a “praise
session” as soon as possible
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7. SPECIFIC
The WHY of the appreciation - Heaven is in the details
01
Appreciation becomes more
powerful and meaningful when
you describe the WHY of your
praise instead of making general
statements like “Good Job!”
03Elaborating what actions you
appreciated makes you more
credible and believable.
02 Being clear about what exactly is
valued most will inspire
employees to repeat and be on a
look out of what the organization
values
05
WHY

8. SINCERITY
Keep it real
Mean what you say or
don’t say it at all
Avoid exaggeration and
pity praise.
Don’t praise for the sake
of praising
Never praise the
undeserving
Fake praise encourages
repetition of an
undesired action
Fake praise damages your
reputation and harms the
receiver
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9. SPACE
Find a good place for effective conversation
Avoid casual “Good job”
praise in the corridor.
After all, it is a golden
opportunity to uplift
relationships
Finding a nice place with
a comfortable ambiance
that inspires professional
intimacy
Break the routine
Make your way to their
desk or invite them for
a personal meeting
Be present.
Switch off
communication with
others during the
session
07
zzz

10. Find the time to appreciate in one on one format
SINGLE
Out of over 3,000 people surveyed, more than 70% said they would rather their direct boss praise them in person than receive an
award publicly. This percentage was higher with the millennials.
Despite competitive spirit in Asia, there is an element of shyness. Results were consistent also with extroverts.
They crave personal, positive
recognition from the people
who have the greatest
impact on their daily life
They want to know how
they can learn more to
help them advance their
career faster
Personal praise can also be a
coaching session. Personal
praise by the leader
contributes to their ability to
perform better in the future
It motivates newcomers
and makes them feel more
secure and cared for
It helps them calibrate their
effort towards better formal
appraisal in the future and
avoid future criticism
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11. Coach them, so they can do even better
STRETCH
Encourage them to: Do more of it and more often.
Replicate their success in other
areas
Increase their value as team
players by helping other team
members
Do even better and assume their
full potential.
After delivering the praise your employee deserves, encourage them to solicit for feedback more often.
Mentor them on what milestones they should look at so they can get to the next level in their career more quickly
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12. Sharing praise will
SPREAD
Share the good across the organization
Consider using social
apps that allow
peers to praise each
other.
Seek permission to share
praise you give to
employees with others,
including over social
media.
Offer a platform for employees
to share their good stories or
experiences, inspiring others
while boosting their confidence
and validation.
Inspire others to replicate
the good and make more
effort.
Cultivate a delightful culture
of appreciation.
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13. Wow them beyond their expectations
DELIGHT THEM

14. Delight them with resources
SUPPORT GROWTH
Help develop their management skills
so they can delegate and take up more
responsibilities.
While verbal praise and bonuses or
perks are appreciated, showing that
you trust their opinion and expertise is
as important.
It is easy to ask people to do more with less. But pushing this too far can result in mounting stress, burnout and resignations. A
general who wants to win the war makes sure that his units are equipped to win.
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Delighting bosses are careful to check
whether their employees have enough
resources to sustain improvements in
their performances.
Do they need to develop more skills?
What procedures could be changed or
simplified to support them?
Give the a voice.
Invite them to contribute in higher
level forums where they have greater
visibility to higher level strategy and
decision makers.

15. SURPRISE
Be creative. Avoid “Appreciation Fatigue”
Find new ways to show that you care
about your employees and are interested
in them as human beings. Surprise them
with your most valuable asset – give them
your time.Feed them. One way through an
employee’s heart is through their
stomach. Large corporations often have
retreats or buffets for employee
appreciation.
Putting sweet treats in the pantry is also
impactful.
Be generous and foster their pride in
work. For example: Provide tickets for a
show for their family.
Invest in unexpected, creative
and delighting ways
Personalize and be more personal.
Knowing their preferences will help.
A hand-written note and a small
personal token will have a greater
impact at marginal cost.
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