The Power of Appreciation

We all want to be appreciated. We want to know that we are valued by others, that we matter.  In fact, even Fortune 500 businesses are recognizing the value of appreciation.

As Tony Schwartz, president and CEO of The Energy Project wrote in an article for Harvard Business Review ¹,

The single highest driver of engagement, according to a worldwide study, is whether or not workers feel their managers are genuinely interested in their wellbeing. Less than 40 percent of workers felt so engaged. Feeling genuinely appreciated lifts people up. At the most basic level, it makes us feel safe, which is what frees us to do our best work. It’s also energizing. When our value feels at risk, as it so often does, that worry becomes preoccupying, which drains and diverts our energy from creating value.

In this lesson, Rev. Nancy presents the four recommendations made by Tony Schwartz for the work place, as well as her recommendations for our personal lives.