High Five

The positive benefits of acknowledging others and showing appreciation are huge and is something any of us can do regardless if we're in a leadership role or not.

It truly is one of the most important things a leader can do to inspire, motivate and empower others so long as its done so genuinely.



Former NBAer, Doug Christie once shared a story with me from his playing days in Toronto. It was during a timeout when his team mate, Damon Stoudamire publicly acknowledged the job he was doing on defence against a opposing player.

He went on further to describe the importance of this in helping to maintain a positive atmosphere and strengthen team cohesion.

To help further the discussion of acknowledgement is Mike Robbins. Mike is a professional speaker and author and talks to audiences about the importance of appreciation and recognizing the actions of others.



Here's what Mike said about appreciation and leadership.

Tune in to the next edition of HCL Radio to hear more from Mike.

Thanks for reading!

We've Got The Power

There are several small, subtle unoticeable things that happen in basketball that lead to paying huge divedends in the way of a basket or key possession.

You'll often times see players pointing at each on the court as they make their way back to the other end of the floor.

What they are doing is a form of acknowledgement.

Perhaps a player has set a screen to get their team mate open for a shot or maybe offered some sort of assistance on the defensive end to force a turnover.

By pointing, they're saying "Thanks", "I saw that" or "Keep up the good work".



In a lot of ways, it's the little things that make the most difference and this is especially true in basketball as well as life.

Acknowledging the actions of others hold tremendous power and can create waves and ripples that motivate, inspire and improve the quality of our personal and professional relationships.

Having out actions acknoweledged will make us more prone to do the same for others.

Think of a moment that you worked really hard on a project or task. What was the feeling you had when someone recognized and commented on what you did?

Did it make you feel valued and appreciated? Were you inspired to keep going? Did you level of respect increase for the other person?

I believe that we all want to be acknowledged for our contributions to society deep down inside. To know that our actions made a difference to someone else is a great motivator on so many levels.




In her book, The Power of Acknowledgment Judith W Umlas says, "each of us has this power, and it is important to remember to use it appropriately, often, and honestly both in business and in our personal lives."

It's a marvelous power that can encourage others to do great things including help score more baskets!


Thanks for reading!

Audley