99% of your wins come from your people. Unseen contributions lead to visible disengagement. Recognition is not a nice-to-have.
Recognition is not a motivational tool. It is a mechanism. When people feel seen for the value they bring, they act in accordance with that value. When they are unseen, they act in accordance with that too.
When Jason said 'I'm proud of you' on Monday morning, one sentence held a lot of weight. I come from a background where that wasn't something I heard often. That's the point. You don't know what your recognition means to someone until you give it.
The manager of the quarter award was a complete surprise to me. My name went on a glass plaque in the foyer. Certificate, bonus, recognition in front of everyone. What I didn't fully understand at the time was that the result came entirely from how my team responded to how I led them.
My first team took me out for my birthday. Restaurant, gifts. I would never have anticipated it. That's the return on recognising your people. It doesn't come back as compliance. It comes back as loyalty.
This is the final rule and the most fundamental one. The way people see themselves determines how they behave. Your job as a leader is to help people see themselves accurately — and where possible, to see them at their best before they can see it themselves.
Ted saw in me what I couldn't see in myself. That changed my trajectory. Recognition is not just about performance acknowledgement. It's about identity. When you recognise someone's potential before they can see it, you've done the most profound thing a leader can do.
What was true yesterday is not necessarily true today. In times of instability and stress, we tend to reach for what we know, not necessarily what is good for us. Your recognition reminds people of who they are capable of being.
Lead with humanity. Manage with systems. And recognise relentlessly.