A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON ELEVATING SIGNIFICANCE & SELF-ESTEEM AT WORK
Kelly Mackin
Work Well-Being Innovator 🔸 Best-Selling Author 🔸 CEO of the Motives Met Human Needs Assessment 🔸 Keynote Speaker 🔸 Human Behavior Researcher
The desire to feel significant in the world is an innate human need. For some people, this manifests strongly in the workplace as well. Elevating the feeling of "mattering" at work is important, no one wants to feel invisible, and it may be a vital ingredient for the health and happiness of certain team members even if that isn’t true for you. That’s what embracing motive diversity is all about, which you can dive into here. In this article, I’m going to give you a new perspective on significance and three meaningful ways to elevate it at work.
1. Amplify Gratitude, But in a Personalized Way You Probably Haven’t Thought About
Saying thank you is nice. Recognizing someone’s efforts is important. But what’s even better? Sharing gratitude for how that person positively impacted you personally.
Instead of saying → “Thanks for covering for me when I was out sick.”
Upgrade to → “Thanks for covering for me, I was stressed about missing work but knowing you were covering for me made me feel so relieved, that I could take the sick day off and get better.”
Or, let’s say you’re the boss. When someone nails a presentation, go beyond the usual pat on the back. Share the ripple effect of their hard work.
Instead of saying → “You did a great job on that presentation it was very impressive.”
Upgrade to → “Your impressive presentation made me feel proud of you and our team. Knowing I can count on you for these big moments frees up time for me to focus elsewhere which I really need right now.”
And it’s not just about what people do; it’s about who they are.
It’s telling someone, “Work has felt intense lately and the optimism and humor you bring to the team is a game changer for all of us, I feel less stressed and more inspired when I work on projects with you.”
How did someone make you feel? What do you get to do (or not have to do!) because of their help? How do you personally benefit from someone’s actions or attitude? Next time you’re gearing up to show some appreciation, connect your gratitude to the personal impact, it elevates its significance for both you and the recipient.
2. Reinforce Self-Esteem
Let’s start with what our research shows the need for SELF-ESTEEM is all about...
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