Recognition that people believe

You will be able to give recognition that is specific, comes soon after the work, and suits how the person likes to receive it.

Open your team chat and scroll back through the thanks you have sent in the last month. Count how many of those messages name one person and something that person actually did. Most new managers find that nearly all their thanks is general, and general thanks is the kind people forget.

Why a group thank-you fades so quickly

Generic praise is thanks that could have been written without looking at anyone's work: "Great work, everyone", "Thanks for all your effort", "Well done on the report". It's kindly meant and costs nothing to send. It also fades almost at once, because people can tell the difference between being noticed and being included in a general thank-you.

Take Wei Ling, a manager (an invented example, like the other people and figures here). At the end of a hard quarter she posted a thank-you to the team chat. Four thumbs-up reactions came back and nothing else. One of her team, Hui Min, had stayed late three nights to fix the service report figures after the account codes changed. Wei Ling had noticed. Even so, a week later in her one-on-one, Hui Min said she wasn't sure anyone had noticed. A manager can see someone's work and still not say so in a way the person can hear.

Writing recognition that names the work and its effect

Specific recognition names what the person did and what effect it had. It uses the same structure you used for praise in lesson 5.2, Situation, behaviour, impact. First name the situation. Then say exactly what the person did and what effect it had, and finish with thank you. It works because it tells the person exactly what you saw and why it mattered. That makes it believable, and it shows them what to repeat.

Wei Ling could have sent Hui Min a direct message like this:

"Hui Min, when the account codes changed, you stayed back three evenings to rebuild the service report. Because the figures were right, Daniel could show the Tan & Co director a clean quarter, and Tan & Co has renewed for another year. Thank you."

That message took two minutes to write, so specific recognition doesn't have to slow you down.

Asking each person how they want to hear it

Some people love public thanks. To them, a mention in the team meeting or the company newsletter feels like a reward. Others find public attention uncomfortable, even embarrassing. Many Singapore teams include colleagues from cultures where standing out from the group feels awkward, so you will meet both preferences on the same team. You can't tell someone's preference by guessing, so you need to ask them.

A good moment is an early one-on-one. Ask how they like to hear about good work, and offer both options: said in front of the team, or a private message. Record the answer in their one-on-one document and deliver recognition that way from then on. Arjun, on Wei Ling's team, prefers a shout-out in the team meeting, partly because it helps his standing with the clients he now manages. Hui Min wants a private message plus a mention to Daniel, and no public thanks at all.

Crediting the people who did the work when you report upward

When you report to your own manager, it's tempting to describe the team's work as your own. Saying "we" achieved something is fine for team results. Saying "I" did it is wrong if a team member did the work. Name the people who did it and say what they did. Suppose Farid, on your team, moved the warehouse data handover to Friday and has delivered every weekly report on time for 13 weeks. Your report upward should say that Farid did this. It shouldn't say that you turned the report process around.

With a good manager this costs you nothing, because they will see that you lead a team that delivers. It also helps your people, because their names reach the people who make promotion and pay decisions. People usually find out, sooner or later, how their manager described their work upward. Finding out they were named builds a great deal of trust, and finding out someone else took the credit does the reverse.

Keeping rewards separate and putting thanks in writing

Recognition means telling people you saw what they did and that it mattered. It's free, it needs no permission or budget, and it should be frequent, most weeks rather than once a quarter. Rewards are tangible: a bonus, a pay rise, a promotion, an extra day off, a voucher. They work best saved for results that really matter. If they're given too often or for routine work, people start to expect them, and the work becomes about the reward. As a new manager, recognise freely and keep rewards for results that clearly went beyond the role. When you do give a reward, pair it with specific recognition so the person knows exactly what it was for.

Spoken thanks is good, but written recognition lasts longer. The person can reread it, and it goes into their one-on-one document as evidence for their next review. If you copy their manager's manager, it reaches someone whose view of them matters. Check with the person before you copy anyone senior. Some will be delighted. Others, especially those who prefer private recognition, would rather keep it between the two of you.

Think of one thing someone on your team did recently that deserves more than a thumbs-up, and write it down the way you would say it to them.

This week, write one team member a specific note of thanks. If they are comfortable with it, copy their skip-level manager.

Course

• First-time manager