Humans crave social connections in all aspects of their lives
Humans crave social connections in all aspects of their lives. As herd animals, these relationships reinforce our valued membership in a group. Across the lines of gender, race, ethnicity, and so on, all humans share this common need.
High-performance workplace cultures are built on engaged employees who feel safe and secure in their roles, and as a result wake up every day excited to come to work. They offer high levels of discretionary effort, know others see and value their individual contributions, and revel in the shared accomplishments of the group.
An integral part of building such cultures are three powerful tools: validation, recognition and feedback. Great managers use these relational tools strategically to improve performance and accountability.
The goal of these three motivational instruments is not to simply offer gratuitous praise. It’s to act on the strategic understanding of your employees’ neurological need to know that they are seen and valued, that their accomplishments are noticed and appreciated, and that there is a plan to help them improve and grow.
