Validation From Leaders Says "I See You"

How often do managers and leaders miss opportunities to give employees validation?

What does validation do for employees?

Last week, I was talking with a friend and she was sharing some steps she is taking to further her knowledge of Excel® and several other skills she uses in her job. At her annual evaluation, learning and development were highlighted and she wants to be sure when her next performance review comes round, she’s checked all the boxes, plus some.

While thinking about it later, I wondered if her boss notices this initiative. Will he or she commend her efforts a year from now? Or grab this chance to validate her improvement now … as it’s happening?

Giving employees feedback, while sometimes challenging, might just be the easier part of the development equation.

Noticing changes in behavior and effort and recognizing them is hard. It means you’ve really got to be paying attention and dialed in to each person.

Validation reinforces employee behavior 

It says, “I see you. And I really appreciate what you’re doing.” Talk about a motivation gimme. Who doesn’t want to be noticed?

“Alex, I really love that you’re reading that business communication book. I’d love to talk with you about what you’re learning sometime. Maybe there are a few things you can share with me next week.”

Employees become discouraged when work goes unnoticed, particularly when that work is something they consider to be above and beyond (or at least better than they were previously doing).

Want to build a team of overachievers? You’ve got to watch for the first buds of an overachiever.

Want to take that underperforming employee up to par? Don’t miss the first signs of change. Don’t make the employee come tell you about it. Absolutely, you can justify your silence by convincing yourself that “par” is what’s expected. I’ve been there. I’ve done it. It’s easy to fall back on “She’s finally  doing what she should have been doing to begin with.”

But think about it. You’re trying to change behavior. You’re trying to motivate people. 

Management is not for the rigid. It takes great patience. Changing habits and behavior is not easy for anyone, so it’s important to consider how much effort it’s taking an employee to change.