7 MUST HAVE WORDS FOR APPRECIATION

 

Words to express appreciation

• Excellent

“Excellent idea Sunil. Why don’t you build on it and get me a d
etailed plan by tomorrow evening”. Sunil would be in clouds and chances are, he would be back with the detailed plan by today evening itself!

It’s amazing because it puts you firmly in the position to judge and proclaim excellence and also points out to your large heart.

• Outstanding

Again, a superlative, and for a reason.

An appreciation well done retains the good after taste for a long time. You want the guy to carry home the feeling. You want him to experience the feel-good and that’s why you want the right word to carry that experience to him.

• Inspirational

This one has a role model dimension too. Not only has he done an amazing job, he has also qualified himself to be a torch bearer to others. It is doubly effective when used while praising in public in front of his peers.

• Exceptional

Not everyone can do what you have done.

This is what you mean when you call something exceptional. Way more powerful than a bland, “Good job” or, “Well done”

• Extraordinary

Again, you are emphasizing his exclusivity which he earned through performance.

• Remarkable

That’s the one to use when he has done something appreciable but not something that would qualify for a superlative. Calling something which is just good as exceptional would not work – it’s here that you can call it remarkable.

• Awesome

Use it instead of the bureaucratic, “Meets and exceeds expectations”. It has more feeling, greater impact and raises chances that the guy while on the cab back home would be thinking about it and smiling to himself.

Appreciation received is only as effective as it is remembered. As a leader, your choice of words goes a long way in making it memorable for your subordinates.

 

TRUE STORY

 One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia . Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.

"Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked.

The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town. "All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night."

When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry about me, I'll make out just fine," the clerk told them.
So the couple agreed.

As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, "You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States . Maybe someday I'll build one for you."
The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn't easy.

Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York , asking the young man to pay them a visit.

The old man met him in New York , and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street . He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.

"That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you to manage."
"You must be joking," the young man said.
"I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.

The older man's name was William Waldorf-Aster, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world's most glamorous hotel.

STORY WITH MORAL - COURAGE & HONSTY

 

THE EMPEROR’S SUCCESSOR

 

          An Emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called the young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you.” 

          His children were shocked! But the Emperor continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today, one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!”         

          One boy named Ling was there that day, and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and the planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. 

          After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing! By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling did not have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by; but still nothing in Ling’s pot. He just knew that he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. 

          Ling didn’t say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed grow. A year finally went by and all of the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot but his mother said he must be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. 

          When king arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. The were beautiful-in all shape and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, “Hey, nice try.” 

          When the Emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted he young people. Ling just tried t hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown,” said the Emperor. “Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!” 

          All of the sudden, the Emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. “The Emperor knows I am a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!” 

          When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. “My name is Ling,” he replied. All the kids were laughing  and making fun of him. The Emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, “Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!” Ling couldn’t believe it. Ling couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor? 

          Then the Emperor said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!”

Identify And Live Your Personal Values

 Values are traits or qualities that are considered worthwhile; they represent your highest priorities and deeply held driving forces. When you are part of any organization, you bring your deeply held values and beliefs to the organization. There they co-mingle with those of the other members to create an organization or family culture.

Value statements are grounded in values and define how people want to behave with each other in an organization, an institution, a company, or a family. They are statements about how the organization will value customers, suppliers, and the internal community. Value statements describe actions which are the living enactment of the fundamental values held by most individuals within the organization.

The following are examples of values.

You might use these as the starting point for thinking about and articulating your values as a human being.

Examples of Values

ambition, competency, individuality, equality, integrity, service, responsibility, accuracy, respect, dedication, diversity, improvement, enjoyment/fun, loyalty, credibility, honesty, innovativeness, teamwork, excellence, accountability, empowerment, quality, efficiency, dignity, collaboration, stewardship, empathy, accomplishment, courage, wisdom, independence, security, challenge, influence, learning, compassion, friendliness, discipline/order, generosity, persistency, optimism, dependability, flexibility

Why Identify and Establish Your Values?

Your values are made up of everything that has happened to you in your life and include influences from: your parents and family, your religious affiliation, your friends and peers, your education, your reading, and more. Effective people recognize these environmental influences and identify and develop a clear, concise, and meaningful set of values/beliefs, and priorities. Once defined, values impact every aspect of your life.

You demonstrate and model your values in action in your personal and work behaviors, decision making, contribution, and interpersonal interaction.

You use your values to make decisions about priorities in your daily work and home life.

Your goals and life purpose are grounded in your values.

Choose the values that are most important to you, the values you believe in and that define your character. Then live them visibly every day at work and at home. Living your values is one of the most powerful tools available to you to help you be the person you want to be, to help you accomplish your goals and dreams, and to help you lead and influence others. Don't waste your best opportunity.

STORY WITH MORAL

THE WISE WOMAN'S STONE 

A wise woman, who was traveling in the mountains, found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said. "I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. 

Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone.