Here's how you can make your employees feel valued and appreciated in their roles.

This is such a simple but powerful practice. Depending on the context, it could be individual or collective, public or 1:1 .. but the effect it has on the receiver is very positive and reinforcing. When appreciating, connect it to strategic, tactical, organizational or business outcomes to let the impact sink in and set a high bar. There is an old industry trope that goes "reward outcomes, not efforts", but it has never resonated with me. Sometimes, in the middle of an extremely hectic project whose outcome is still unknown, appreciation for great contributions will infuse much needed energy and boost individual and team morale.

Google once had motto - Don’t be evil. This is exactly the same advice here. Happiness starts with psychological safety. Consulting is very stressful environment that has severe impact on people’s health. There are periods when there is huge economic uncertainty when events outside firm control are causing havoc inside. How you act as leader in these bad times will become your reputation. Are you treating people on lower levels way that one guy described as “it’s like slavery, we just treat them better” or you are enlightened leader that takes care of his / her people and help them feel safe and appreciated even when outside chaos is raging? It’s about character of leader. Good happy people have other good happy people working for them.

If, as the main article goes, it is about making people feel respected in their roles: 1) Immediacy: Don't wait. Provide feedback as soon as the contribution was made or the goal accomplished, when it is still fresh in everybody's minds. 2) Impact: Drive home the positive outcomes it delivered to the org, business unit, team, customer .. everything that is relevant. Let them know exactly how great their contribution was. 3) Incentive: Discuss how these kinds of contributions can contribute to their growth, and show them a positive, bright path forward to reinforce the behaviour, value, attitude, etc.

As a leader, set an example by seeking for a feedback. Don't just gather the feedback, define the action plan and act upon the feedback received. Track and measure the results. It will create a solid ground for your teams to mirror your behavior and accept that feedback provision and seeking is crucial for growth and learning.

Offer growth, and walk the talk. I will caveat that, though: 1) Offer a clear growth path for every time up to first line managers. After that, you can leave the options broader and rely on their maturity and seniority to also play a big role. 2) Set a timeline - this may need you to prepare in advance with your own manager if they are your team member, or their manager if you are not their supervisor in any way. This is good for the individual as well as the company for succession planning, talent management, etc.

Nothing says 'I trust and believe in you' more than empowering your employees and providing them with autonomy to complete their work how best works for them and how they decide to. It really is as simple as that.

An important factor would be encourage collaboration! A lot of employees work in their own silos and cannot appreciate the big picture until they are pushed out of their comfort zone. At times, they do not know what they are capable of achieving, thus, helping them collaborate with another team, another division etc helps them reach their full potential. It is a manager's responsibility to identify what's unique in a team member. This helps the manager leverage this skill and in turn, helps the team member to sharpen their skills creating a "win more - win more" situation.

Wertschätzung zu zeigen, bedeutet auch, dem Mitarbeitenden eine gute Balance zwischen Privat- und Arbeitsleben zu ermöglichen. Gerade bei Mitarbeitenden mit Kindern sorgen flexible Arbeitsregelungen wie Homeoffice und Gleitzeit für eine ganz wesentliche Stressreduktion. Niemand hetzt gerne jeden Tag zur Arbeit, weil die Differenz zwischen Arbeitszeitstart und Kitaöffnung so gering ist.

First, ensure candidates fit their roles and professional objectives. If not, none of this will matter. I'd add: 1. Clear communication - Regularly update the team on impactful situations (proposals, projects, events, recruitment, etc.) through scheduled touchpoints. 2. Fair compensation and recognition - Offer fair wages and bonuses, public acknowledgment, and rewards (e.g. gift cards and presents), along with free time and team-building activities. 3. Set responsibilities - Hold them accountable and highlight the tangible outcomes of their efforts. 4. Provide support - Listen and foster a sense of belonging.

Find out what they value. Some people will value their families and time outside of work more than they value the work – so you won't keep them by throwing benefits at them or by increasing their pay. On the other hand, some people will value money and career path above most things – which means you won't make them feel valued by giving them an extra day off. So the first key, as always, is: Know who you're dealing with, treat them how they would like to be treated rather than how you think they'd like to be treated.