{"id":9669,"date":"2012-04-12T21:49:47","date_gmt":"2012-04-13T05:49:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=9669"},"modified":"2013-09-18T08:25:08","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T16:25:08","slug":"how-to-practice-the-art-of-acknowledgement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-practice-the-art-of-acknowledgement\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Practice the Art of Acknowledgement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of my clients said of her boss, \u201cJust once, I\u2019d like to hear her tell me what\u2019s good about my work, instead of pointing out everything I didn\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sound familiar? Which brain cell warped making it so much easier to notice \u2013 and talk about\u2013 the bad stuff, while ignoring all the good that surrounds us? The fascinating thing about my client\u2019s comment is that her boss has told me she thinks this person\u2019s work is great!<\/p>\n

So why do I know this \u2013 and the person involved doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n

Welcome to the art of acknowledgment. Like much art in our society, this art is at high\u00a0risk of not being taught, practiced, and valued in our criticize-\u2019em-now culture. That has to change.<\/p>\n

Acknowledgment is one of the secret ingredients to motivating human behavior. I think its lack is one reason our lives become lackluster. Since we need everything we do to shine more than ever, it\u2019s time to relearn and practice this simple skill.<\/p>\n

But how? Here are three ideas how you can fill your canvas at work and home with the art of acknowledgment:<\/p>\n

1. Paint the Picture of What You See.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes we struggle to acknowledge others because the goal isn\u2019t complete or isn\u2019t yet successful. We wait to celebrate until there are results\u2014the project delivered, the weight lost, the problem solved.<\/p>\n

Pflooey. It\u2019s the right effort that gets the right results. Painting the picture for someone else of the steps you\u2019re watching them take toward a goal can be very powerful and affirming \u2013 even if the ultimate goal hasn\u2019t been met yet. For example, when I was working on my book, Bring Your Superpowers to Work<\/a>, it was wonderful to hear from friends and colleagues things like \u201cI\u2019m so proud of you for continuing to write and not giving up!\u201d Unfortunately, even the most well intended asked the more common \u201cWhen exactly will you be getting that done?\u201d (That wasn\u2019t very helpful or uplifting!)<\/p>\n

You can be different. You can teach yourself to notice\u2014and call attention to\u2014the positive efforts going on every day. What are all the little things that are happening that add up to big improvements? What choices, decisions, and actions are taking place all the time that in the long run make a difference?<\/p>\n

Once you notice those efforts, it\u2019s time to mirror them back. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n