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You might be shocked to know how significant acknowledgement and appreciation can be in someone’s life.
For all our talk of money being a motivating factor for people I would contend that we’re even more driven by the desire to be acknowledged and appreciated. In fact, I think that in many ways a salary is just an indicator to a part of our brain, that we are being acknowledged and appreciated. But there’s another level…
Recently a client wrote this to me:
“Why don’t you go ahead and contact him – I trust you.”
Did you catch that? “ I . Trust . You .”
There is virtually no amount of money that can replace THAT. Trust is something you can’t buy (though some politicians might argue). Trust is something earned and what you can do with trust, in many ways far exceeds that which you can do with money.
This morning I awoke to this message in my inbox:
“Love your work!!! … Keep writing inspiring pieces”
I won’t ask you the rhetorical question of “how do you think that makes me feel about writing?” I’ll just tell you: it validates every word that I have ever written.
There will always be people that are purely motivated by money, and in truth I find that sad. I don’t think any amount of money can replace purpose, and when you are driven by purpose, acknowledgement and appreciation is what makes you rich.
As I build my company, I am keenly aware that how I pay my partners is important, but because the people I work with were brought on to do work that they love, I make sure that they always know how much I appreciate the work that they do, and acknowledge the skill and professionalism that they bring to the table.
As you go forth today and interact with people, try and make it a point to really acknowledge and appreciate someone for something. You might just change their entire day.