I'm Proud of You...Huh?

When someone says, "I'm proud of you..." how does that make you feel?

It likely depends, right?

I recently received an email stating the sender was proud of me, and the sender was someone I've NEVER met.

Ummm...Thank you? I'm glad to hear you're proud of someone who didn't know you existed prior to your message?

When you hear that or say it to someone else, the relationship between the giver and receiver matters.

How well do you know the person?

What sort of connection do you have, if any?

Do you respect the person? Do you respect the person's opinion of you?

Do you care?

This week we talked about employee appreciation in the grad course I lead...

We discussed the importance of the relationship when appreciation is shown. 

Plus the sincerity of it. 

How individualized and specific it is.

And how the person WANTS to receive appreciation. Through words? Gifts? Your time? Your help?

Otherwise it's meaningless and can even decrease the level of appreciation or importance someone feels.

How do you share your appreciation with your team? How do you share it with the others in your life?

Does it make them FEEL appreciated?

The book 'The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People' by Gary Chapman and Paul White is a great place to start.

Let people know they matter in the way that matters to THEM.

And I really encourage you to know them first. 

Make your dash matter, and help other people make theirs’ matter, too!  -