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Recognition
CHA P T E R 5
” There are two things people want more than
sex and money . . . recognition and praise.”
—Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
o finding in all of psychology and human
resources is more consistent than the posi-
Ntive impact of recognition on employee per-
formance. Fundamentally, people simply want to be recognized
and acknowledged for their efforts and contributions. Whether
at work, among friends, or with our significant other, we want
to know that what we do matters and is appreciated. Although
there are many forms of acknowledgment, the most powerful is
social reinforcement, that is, praise. In our research, people over-
whelmingly identified a simple thank you as the most important
and meaningful form of recognition.
Unfortunately, many managers don’t feel as though they
should have to thank employees for doing their jobs. Moreover,
supervisors consistently overrate the extent to which they give
recognition and underrate the extent to which it is valued by
employees. Thus, providing recognition to employees presents
an immediate opportunity to increase discretionary effort.
In truth, supervisors who fail to take a few minutes a day to
