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| Me, incognito. (Shhhhhhh!) |
If this were an episode of "Friends," it would be called The One with the Big Misunderstanding.
This happened years ago with one of my biggest corporate clients. An employee who had just completed a two-week leadership training with me reached out for one-on-one coaching. I said yes, of course!
And then-- due to many reasons, but none worth typing now-- I let him slip through the cracks.
My intention was great, but my execution of that intention was awful.
That follow-through faux pas escalated into a communication misunderstanding. Again, my intention was very good, but that didn't really matter because the impact of that intention was a big swimming pool belly flop.
I felt awful. I apologized. I wanted to make everything right. The employee, however, thought I had purposefully wronged him, and he was determined to die on that hill.
The next thing I knew, the VP of Human Resources contacted me and asked me to meet her at Starbucks.
😳
For context, I didn't know the director well. She was a powerful leader within the organization. She was also a no-B.S. New Yorker. I respected her greatly, and I was nervous about this meeting. We had never done anything beyond the training room, let alone socially. (eep!)
And as an external consultant, she owed me nothing. Nothing at all. This couldn't be good.
I arrived at Starbucks early so I could get a table. I got my tea and anxiously waited at a spot near the window.
Would she chastise me?
Can I contract with this company ever again?
I spotted her, tried to muster some confidence, and waved. She flashed a small smile, got some coffee, and joined me.
After our brief hellos, she said something I'll never forget.
She started with this:
"Michelle, you've been partnering with us for quite a while. And in all that time, I don't think I've ever told you how much we appreciate you and what you do for our company. Thank you."
Wait. What did I just hear?
She went on to say only this about the employee hiccup:
"He learned, you learned, and now we all move on."
That was it.
She then guided the conversation to lighter topics. We finished our caffeine and went on our way.
Never before have I felt so recognized by an employer.
- She took time for me, making a special effort to meet.
- She knew my character and gave me the benefit of the doubt.
- She expressed gratitude in a way that mattered to me.
(I still work for that company to this day!)
Employee recognition is defined as the expressed acknowledgment to an individual or team for their contributions to the organization.
The right recognition increases engagement and loyalty and builds trust.
Who wouldn't want that?
For more on recognition:
- This one provides a list of tried-and-true ways to recognize others at work that go way beyond Amazon gift cards.
- This one is about the time I did a really good job at recognizing my group's efforts, even though I broke some rules in the process.
- This one talks about the Platinum Rule and delivering recognition that lands.
But for now, I want to offer you a tiny bit of recognition:
The comment feature isn't working, but I'd still love to have a conversation! Email me at 53thingsIthinkIknow@gmail.com
