It's the Little Things

If you do a good job and nobody notices,  then are you doing a good job?

We lost cable and more importantly internet on Saturday night.  We called Verizon who said they couldn't get someone out to us until Monday morning.  We sorted out the logistics of making that work and then went on with our day but low and behold - there was a Verizon tech already on our street.  So we asked . . . and this guy was amazing!  He called and took the ticket, did the work, under the careful supervision of 5 neighborhood kids.  He even showed these dutiful supervisors how to improve their spiral throws all while restoring our cable a day ahead of time. We thanked him and went on with our day.  Then, my husband said, "You know what, someone should know how great that tech was." He attempted to call Verizon to share this.

Verizon Tech teaching football

I'm fairly confident this has literally never happened to them before.  He was transferred three times over the course of 10 minutes and then he was disconnected.

Now, we weren't looking for this employee to get a promotion or a raise, but just to let him know that we noticed.  We thought he did a good job and wanted him to know that we appreciated it.   Mr. Verizon Tech could be reminded that he is not giving up his Sunday just to remove and replace controller boxes but to help people stay connected (maybe his Why).

An employee goes above and beyond and no one notices.  How long will he keep going above and beyond?  How long before he forgets his Why?

Now recognition is a tricky thing.   

Too much and too uniformly distributed and it is meaningless.  Too little or too late and may actually do more harm then good.  How do you strike a balance?

There was an article a few years back called "What Makes a Nightmare Sports Parent - And What Makes a Great One."  They surveyed collegiate athletes about what their parents said to them that boosted them up,  encouraged them and increased their love of the game.  The overwhelming response was simply being told, "I love to watch you play."

So, not a trophy or an awards ceremony or big grand gestures but small steady encouragement agnostic to performance? No cupcakes or giant celebration?  Pretty much just showing up and paying attention - really - that's it?

When we are at our kids games, often visiting with other parents,  we are all on guard, watching out of the corner of our eye so that we don't miss a basket or a kick or a goal.  So we can see them engage and try, commiserate with their disappointment and celebrate with their joy.  Just watching them play and letting them know that we love it. My husband read this article when it first came out, so he has been on this for a while.

Could the same be true for grown-ups?

Could a one sentence email sent acknowledging that your work was noticed and that it added value make a difference?  

Actually,  I think it could.

When I put on my first industry trade show a few years back,  I got a note from my boss which I very much appreciated telling me I did a great job.  I also got a note from a member of the R&D team who knew only that I worked for months getting ready and that it had gone smoothly, congratulating me on a job well done.  It makes a huge difference - it reminded me that even though we hadn't worked together on that project, we are on the same team, pulling towards the same goal and the work that I was doing mattered.

Somebody is watching me play! 
The bleachers are not empty and there is a game to played!  
There's the whistle.

Thanks for reading!