Page 162 - Appreciative Leadership

The Courage of Inspiration 135

In every one of the focus groups we conducted, people told stories
of being inspired by creative and meaningful recognition. Stories of
inspiration were not about large sums of money or big promotions.
Instead, they were stories of surprise and creativity in the way people
were appreciated. It is clear—creative appreciation fosters high perfor-

mance. The more creative you are in giving appreciation, formally or
informally, the more it will be remembered and taken to heart. And
the more likely it is to have a positively powerful impact.
We can all learn from Sean, who coaches girls’ softball. On the

last day of the season, he called the team together for an awards
ceremony. Everybody on the team got an award. He had studied
the season’s statistics and created awards that were both fun and
meaningful. With the best overall batting average, Katy was given a
certificate that read “Slugger.” Stephanie had the most base hits, so

hers read “Steady.” But perhaps the sweetest award went to Hannah.
“When Hannah came to us, she had never played soft ball before,”
said Sean, “But you never would have known that. She had the sec-
ond highest batting average and the second highest on-base average;
and she was a steady outfielder who could both catch and throw.”

With that, he handed her a certificate that read “Rookie of the Year.”

Who cared if she was the only rookie on the team? He had seen and
acknowledged her strengths, and he had honored her as a full con-
tributor to the team’s success.
Appreciative Leadership expresses and reinforces values through
recognition. People are inspired by acknowledgment and apprecia-
tion. To some degree, we all perform for it. Giving recognition tells
people: “What you are doing is good. Keep it up.” Appreciation is an
inspiring practice for setting expectations and conveying your values.
What you acknowledge, appreciate, and reward tells people what mat-
ters to you; and it further inspires them to act in accordance.
A great example comes from Maurice Monette and Jeff Jackson.
As they approached their twentieth marriage anniversary, they used
Appreciative Inquiry to explore what was best in their lives and what
they wanted more of in the future. In doing this process, they realized
that their relationship was a primary inspiration for the community