I have been blessed over my career to be trained in my corporate leadership development roles by top notch coaching organizations, truly a gift. There is a practice from one of these trainings that I truly love, it’s called acknowledgement.

Acknowledgement is not feedback to me, it is so much more. Acknowledgement is the practice of noticing the gifts, the talents, the genius, the unique contribution someone has made. It’s not a “good job”, “nice work”, no, no, no – it is an act of noticing, of seeing the other, for who they truly are and for how they are making a difference.

Acknowledgement can be so much fun. When you are with the person, you really take a moment to notice them, listen to them, watch them, and take in all that they are sharing and giving.

Then, you give it back to them, in specifics. Notice the detail, notice the little things they did, notice the risks they took, notice where they really shined, call out their gifts and talents, applaud them for their contribution. Because, they are making a conscious intent to share their very best. The least you can do is to celebrate it!

To me, it’s not feedback of “continue doing this moving forward.” It’s so much more, it’s capturing the essence of their contribution.

I truly believe that when we notice someone for their gifts and genius, they are naturally inspired to share again, to take another risk, to give their best. Even use the word “acknowledge” instead of feedback.

“I’d like to acknowledge you for _____________”

“What I notice that really made a difference is ________________”

“You have an exceptional genius for _________________”

“Thank you for not holding back, and for sharing __________________”

Don’t hold back. Give them a little rampage of how they make a difference. Lean into acknowledging, not feedback, honor who they truly are!

With care,

Jill