Recognizing the Contributions of Another Person
From yet another perspective, the process of appreciation concerns our recognition of the contributions that have been made by another person: “I appreciate the efforts you have made in getting this project started.” “I appreciate your willingness to take a risk in telling me what you really think about this proposal.” Sometimes this sense of appreciation is reflected in the special recognition we give people for a particularly successful project or in the bouquet of flowers we leave with our secretary on National Secretary’s Day. This form of appreciation, however, typically leads only to praise addiction and the tendency to keep people who report to us permanently in an indispensable and, therefore (ironically) one-down position.
Appreciation can be exhibited in a more constructive manner through the daily interaction between an executive and his associates. It involves mutual respect and interaction. More specifically, appreciation is evident in attitudes regarding the nature and purpose of work. If the executive “sees work as the means whereby a person creates oneself (that is, one’s identity and personality) and creates community (that is, social relations), then the accountability structure becomes one of nurturing and mentoring.”
These are the three most common uses of the term appreciation. We appreciate other people through attempting to understand them, through valuing them and through being thoughtful and considerate in acknowledging their contributions to the organization. The term appreciation is now being used in two additional ways that are distinctive, yet closely related to the first three.
Establishing a Positive Image of the Future
First, appreciation refers to the establishment of a positive image of the future within a relationship or organization. We grow to appreciate a relationship by investing it with optimism. We invest it with a sense of hope about its own future and the valuable role potentially it plays in our lives, our community or even our society. “Affirmation of the positive future is the single most important act that a system can engage in if its real aim is to bring to fruition a new and better future.” We are effective in relationships, therefore, if we are “not only concerned with what is but also with what might be” in the relationship and in the role that this relationship might play elsewhere in our world.
