Two people waiting at a bus stop in the snow got their fare paid by a passing runner.

Don’t think recognition is important? Ask yourself why they have an award ceremony after each Olympic event.

One of the ways to motivate people is with recognition. Those Olympic athletes certainly don’t spend years training *just* to stand on the platform. But I rarely hear of any athlete turning down the opportunity either.

Recognition is important. Praise is one form of recognition. Recognition can also take the form of feedback. There are examples all over the net on how to give recognition and feedback such as this and this. There are even examples of how to receive feedback.

There are a few keys to recognizing people, especially volunteers. Effective recognition is:

• Timely
• Honest
• Personal and Specific
• Regular

Recognition goes hand in hand with giving. But it doesn’t come magically. We need to plan to give recognition. (Mental note: An interesting personal challenge might be to try to recognize a different person’s good works every day for a week or a month.)

Have you made a plan to recognize someone? And how will you make that recognition meaningful?