Reflective recognition gives you, the leader, a window into what matters most to another person while at the same time, helping employees get to present their own progress and accomplishments. What’s more? When employees stop and reflect on their own achievements, how they’ve tackled challenges, and how they’ve made progress, it is great for engagement, too. The first step is to empower your employees to share what they are proud of and why. This doesn’t need to happen as a separate, focused meeting. During your regular one-to-ones, or even when you bump into each other in the office, you could ask them a simple question.
- We haven’t spoken in a while, what have you been working on recently that you are proud of?
- What do you want to be acknowledged for?
- What are you working on that’s exciting you?
- What has been the hardest part of your job lately and how have you been navigating it?
Use positive probing to draw their attention to their own effort and progress. Here are some probing questions you might ask:
- How were you able to do what you did?
- What did it take to make it happen?
- What did you learn in the process?
Source: A Better Way to Recognize Your Employees
Subjects: Human Resources Questions, Management Questions
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