Why Employees Need Both Recognition and Appreciation

by?Mike Robbins

Recognition and appreciation. We often use these words interchangeably, and think of them as the same thing. But while they're both important, there’s a big difference between them. For leaders who want their teams to thrive and organizations that want to create cultures of engagement, loyalty, and high performance, it's important to understand the distinction.

認(rèn)可與賞識(shí)。我們通常把這些詞互換使用，認(rèn)為它們是同一回事?？墒潜M管它們均很重要，兩者之間還是存在巨大區(qū)別。對(duì)于希望自己的團(tuán)隊(duì)蓬勃發(fā)展的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者以及希望創(chuàng)造敬業(yè)、忠誠(chéng)和高績(jī)效文化的企業(yè)而言，了解這種區(qū)別十分重要。

Recognition is about giving positive feedback based on results or performance. Sometimes this happens in a formal way: an award, a bonus, a promotion, a raise. Sometimes recognition is given more informally: a verbal thank you, a handwritten note. All of these methods can be meaningful, especially if they're done in a timely and genuine way. They're also motivating and exciting — everyone wants their good work to be applauded.

認(rèn)可是基于結(jié)果或表現(xiàn)而給予正面的反饋。有時(shí)這種事情會(huì)以正式的形式出現(xiàn)：獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)、獎(jiǎng)金、晉級(jí)、加薪。有時(shí)認(rèn)可是以更非正式的方式表示的：口頭的感謝、手寫的便條。所有這些方式都可能很有意義，特別是當(dāng)它們得到及時(shí)、誠(chéng)懇的實(shí)施的時(shí)候。它們也能調(diào)動(dòng)積極性、激勵(lì)人心——人人都希望他們的佳績(jī)得到贊揚(yáng)。

But there are some limits to recognition. First, it's performance-based, so it's conditional. Second, it's based on the past, so it's about what people have already done. Third, it's scarce. There’s a limited amount of recognition to go around — everyone can't get a bonus or be mentioned by name in a memo — and it can be stressful when many people are vying for a finite amount of praise. Fourth, it generally has to come from the top. Many organizations have set up programs that allow peers to highlight each other’s efforts, but the major forms of recognition (promotions, raises, and so on) usually are given by senior leaders.

可是認(rèn)可有些局限。首先，它是以表現(xiàn)為基礎(chǔ)的，因而是有條件的。其次，它基于過去，所以涉及的是人們已經(jīng)有何作為。第三，它很稀缺?？梢垣@得的認(rèn)可數(shù)量有限——不是每一個(gè)人都能獲得獎(jiǎng)金或者名載備忘錄——而且當(dāng)許多人爭(zhēng)先恐后地去爭(zhēng)取有限的贊揚(yáng)時(shí)，壓力會(huì)非常大。第四，它通常必定來自高層。許多企業(yè)已制定了計(jì)劃，讓同事間強(qiáng)調(diào)彼此的努力，但是主要的認(rèn)可形式（晉級(jí)、加薪等）通常是由高層領(lǐng)導(dǎo)授予的。

And while recognition that includes monetary compensation can be great, researchers from the London School of Economics found that financial incentives can actually backfire when it comes to motivating employees. According to an analysis of?51 experiments, “these incentives may reduce an employee's natural inclination to complete a task and derive pleasure from doing so.”

盡管包括貨幣補(bǔ)償在內(nèi)的認(rèn)可可能是件大好事，但是倫敦經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)院的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，在調(diào)動(dòng)員工積極性的問題上，金錢刺激實(shí)際上可能適得其反。根據(jù)對(duì)51項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)的分析，“這些激勵(lì)措施可能會(huì)降低員工完成任務(wù)并從中得到快樂的自然傾向。”

Appreciation, on the other hand, is about acknowledging a person's inherent value. The point isn't their accomplishments. It's their worth as a colleague and a human being.

另一方面，賞識(shí)是對(duì)一個(gè)人內(nèi)在價(jià)值的承認(rèn)。重點(diǎn)不是他們的成就，而是他們身為同事或一個(gè)人的價(jià)值。

In simple terms, recognition is about what people do; appreciation is about who they are.

簡(jiǎn)單地說，認(rèn)可涉及人們做了什么；賞識(shí)涉及他們是誰。

This distinction matters because recognition and appreciation are given for different reasons. Even when people succeed, inevitably there will be failures and challenges along the way; depending on the project, there may not even be tangible results to point to. If you focus solely on praising positive outcomes, on?recognition, you miss out on lots of opportunities to connect with and support your team members — to?appreciate?them.

這種區(qū)別很重要，因?yàn)檎J(rèn)可和賞識(shí)是出于不同原因才給予的。即使人們?cè)讷@得成功之時(shí)，一路上也不可避免地會(huì)遇到失敗和挑戰(zhàn)；根據(jù)項(xiàng)目的不同，甚至可能都無法指出具體的成果。如果你僅僅注重表?yè)P(yáng)積極的成果，只注重認(rèn)可，那你就錯(cuò)失了與團(tuán)隊(duì)成員溝通并支持他們的許多機(jī)會(huì)——賞識(shí)他們。

Oprah Winfrey spoke about this in a powerful way when she gave a?commencement speech at Harvard?a few years ago:

幾年前，奧普拉·溫弗里(OprahWinfrey)在哈佛大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮上發(fā)表演講時(shí)曾有力地提及這一點(diǎn)。

I have to say that the single most important lesson I learned in 25 years talking every single day to people was that there’s a common denominator in our human experience….The common denominator that I found in every single interview is we want to be validated. We want to be understood. I’ve done over 35,000 interviews in my career. And as soon as that camera shuts off, everyone always turns to me and inevitably, in their own way, asks this question: “Was that OK?” I heard it from President Bush. I heard it from President Obama. I’ve heard it from heroes and from housewives. I’ve heard it from victims and perpetrators of crimes. I even heard it from Beyoncé in all of her Beyoncé-ness….[We] all want to know one thing: “Was that OK?” “Did you hear me?” “Do you see me?” “Did what I say mean anything to you?”

我不得不說，我在25年里每天與人交談中學(xué)到的唯一最重要的一課就是，我們?nèi)祟惖慕?jīng)歷有一個(gè)共同點(diǎn)……我在每一次訪談中發(fā)現(xiàn)的共同點(diǎn)是，我們希望得到認(rèn)可，我們希望得到理解。我在職業(yè)生涯中已經(jīng)進(jìn)行過35000多次訪談。攝像機(jī)一關(guān)，每個(gè)人總會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)向我，不可避免地以他們自己的方式問這個(gè)問題：“這樣可以嗎？”我聽布什總統(tǒng)問過，我聽奧巴馬總統(tǒng)問過，我聽英雄和家庭主婦問過，我聽受害人和罪犯問過，我甚至聽渾身碧昂絲氣質(zhì)的碧昂絲問過……（我們）所有人都希望知道一件事：“這樣可以嗎？”“你聽到我說的話了嗎？”“你看到我了嗎？”“我說的話對(duì)你有意義嗎？”

What Oprah was talking about is appreciation. And when we show appreciation to our colleagues, customers, managers, and partners, we're more likely to build trust and connect.

奧普拉所談?wù)摰木褪琴p識(shí)。當(dāng)我們對(duì)我們的同事、客戶、管理者、合伙人表達(dá)賞識(shí)的時(shí)候，我們更有可能建立信任和良好關(guān)系。

Here are a few simple ways to show appreciation for those around you:

以下是幾種對(duì)你周圍的人表達(dá)賞識(shí)的簡(jiǎn)單辦法：

Listen.?One of the best things you can do for the people you work with is also one of the simplest: Put down your phone, turn away from your computer, and genuinely listen to them.

傾聽。你能為與你共事的人做的最好的事情之一也是最簡(jiǎn)單的事情之一：放下你的電話，離開你的電腦，真誠(chéng)地傾聽他們說話。

Tell people what you value about them.?Doing this proactively — not because someone did something great or because you want something from them — is an incredibly powerful gift. It can positively affect how your colleagues feel about themselves, your relationship with them, and the culture of the team.

告訴別人你看重他們身上的什么東西。主動(dòng)去做這件事——不是因?yàn)槟橙俗隽肆瞬黄鸬氖虑?，或者因?yàn)槟銓?duì)他們有所圖——是一份感染力巨大的禮物。它能夠積極影響到你同事對(duì)自己的感覺、你與他們的關(guān)系以及團(tuán)隊(duì)文化。

Check in.?There’s a quote I like that is often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” No matter who said it, it’s such a great reminder. Check in with the people you work with. Asking how they’re doing (and meaning it) and what they’re challenged by right now can show them that you care.

問安。我很喜歡一句通常認(rèn)為是泰迪·羅斯福(Teddy Roosevelt)說的話：“直到人們知道你在乎多少，他們才會(huì)在乎你知道多少?！辈还苓@話是誰說的，它都是一個(gè)極好的提醒。向與你共事的人問安。問問他們工作進(jìn)展如何（而且是真心問候）以及他們眼下遇到什么挑戰(zhàn)可以讓他們知道你很在乎他們。

Showing appreciation for employees is especially important if you're a manager. In?Glassdoor's Employee Appreciation Survey, 53% of people said feeling more appreciation from their boss would help them stay longer at their company — even though 68% said their boss already shows them enough appreciation. The lesson? More is better.

如果你是一名管理者，對(duì)員工表達(dá)賞識(shí)尤其重要。在Glassdoor的員工賞識(shí)調(diào)查中，53%的人表示感受到老板的更多賞識(shí)有助于他們?cè)诠敬酶L(zhǎng)久——盡管68%的人表示，他們的老板已經(jīng)對(duì)他們表達(dá)了足夠的賞識(shí)。經(jīng)驗(yàn)之談嗎？多多益善。

As I discuss in my?TEDx talk?on this subject, great leaders have to successfully focus on and cultivate both appreciation and recognition. And all of us benefit from understanding this distinction in business (and in life). Recognition is appropriate and necessary when it's earned and deserved. Appreciation, however, is important all the time.

正如我就此話題在TEDx談話中所探討的那樣，偉大的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者必須成功地關(guān)注并培養(yǎng)賞識(shí)與認(rèn)可。弄清其在商業(yè)中（以及生活中）的區(qū)別，我們所有人都可以從中受益。在贏得并值得認(rèn)可的時(shí)候，認(rèn)可是恰當(dāng)和必要的。然而，賞識(shí)自始至終都很重要。

邁克·羅賓斯著有四本書，包括他最近的新書《全身心投入工作》(Bring Your Whole Self to Work)。他是一位廣受追捧的演說家和咨詢師，在過去的20年里一直與領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者、團(tuán)隊(duì)和《財(cái)富》(Fortune) 500強(qiáng)企業(yè)合作。