What have you done to make others look good this year? I am talking about sincere respect and gratitude, not superfluous flattery. Here are some ways to express praise and let others know how meaningful their hard work, client service and expertise is to you.
1 – Write a LinkedIn recommendation for someone you have worked with. As long as your Firm does not have any policies prohibiting this, you should write recommendations that speak to the specifics of how this professional was helpful to you and what skills they have that enable them to deliver excellence. Please see this article on LinkedIn recommendations for more specifics.
2 – Send an unsolicited email internally or externally praising a colleague or vendor on what a wonderful job they did when you worked together. Mention how they stayed over time or went the extra mile when things got difficult. Not only will they feel great for being recognized for their extra efforts, but you can Cc: their manager and/or HR representative to make sure others know about their valuable contributions too.
3 – Nominate a colleague or your boss for an industry award or leadership position. If there is someone you work with who has been a mentor to you, seek out opportunities to make them look good! Check out their industry associations to see if there is an upcoming Board nomination or leadership award that you can nominate them for.
My goal has been to do at least one thing each week to express my appreciation for someone’s talent and let them know how much effect they had on my life. In addition to the actions I mentioned above, I also wrote my first Amazon review for a book I loved, recommended a wonderful restaurant on Yelp and began a tradition of sending out an email every Friday to the person who has been most helpful that week. Hopefully, these gestures have been successful at letting others know the value they bring. As corny as it sounds, I cannot begin to express how positive these actions have made me feel. I guess it’s true that if you put good stuff out there, you will be rewarded!