“How can we make sure that we’re appreciating our employees?” That’s a question I’m commonly asked, and my answer is always the same: “The best way to appreciate people is to help them become more creative and give them the skills and the confidence that they need so that they can satisfy customers now and in the future.” Companies spend a lot of time and effort constructing – and then re-constructing – employee appreciation and recognition systems. But they never seem to ‘work’, to make people really feel ‘appreciated’. And that’s because what people really want from work is to learn and grow and put their ideas to work in service of others: of their customers and their company. Unlike the machines that our team members use, which will all depreciate over time, if we put in the time and effort needed to teach people, our employees will all ‘appreciate’. And that is exactly what our team members want! Simply to be ‘appreciated’.
