Personal Finance

Appreciate someone today and turn her into a ‘shujaa’

race

Athletics coach Julius Kirwa in action: Coaches, psychologists, physiotherapists... are always there, watching, timing cheering, crying and running alongside the athlete. PHOTO | FILE

Kenya’s famous marathoners were my heroes for Mashujaa Day. Barely a week before, Eliud Kipchoge led a Kenyan men’s clean-sweep at the Chicago Marathon to claim his first major win, while last year’s winner, countrywoman Rita Jeptoo, retained women’s title around the streets of the Windy City.

Kipchoge finished in 2 hours 04min 11sec, 17 seconds ahead of compatriot Sammy Kitwara with fellow Kenyan Dickson Chumba third.

In fact, following Dennis Kimetto’s superb performance at the 2014 Berlin marathon in which he not only broke the world record, but also became the first man to run under 2:03:00, Kenyans now own 11 out of the top 12 times ever run in the marathon. Can you beat that?

But today, I would like to put the spotlight on the unsung heroes around the athletes. They are the coaches, psychologists, physiotherapists, teachers, dieticians and training partners of the athletes.

In every race they are there, watching, timing, coaching, cheering, crying and yes, even running alongside. They never stand on a podium, they never feel the weight of a gold medal around their necks and they rarely ever get publicly recognised for their massive contribution.

But they are the people who believe in the athletes long before any of us does.

Kouzes and Posner in their classic book, The Leadership Challenge say “Believing in others is an extraordinary powerful force in propelling performance.

Feeling affirmed and appreciated increases a person’s sense of self-worth, which, in turn, precipitates success in all areas of one’s life.

People with high self-esteem feel unique, competent, secure, empowered, and connected to the people around them. If we have someone in our life who believes in us, and who constantly reinforces that belief when interacting with us, we’re strongly influenced by that support.

We all want to know that our lives count, and we need to feel like we matter to someone. That’s what makes appreciation so powerful.

In fact, appreciation is so powerful that it affects the bottom line. People who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to remain in their jobs, making appreciation a key factor in employee retention.

Furthermore, sincere expressions of appreciation open the lines of communication and improve teamwork because people tend to be more open with co-workers who appreciate the job they do.

This makes people more likely to express ideas and feedback, which also positively affects the bottom line.

Appreciation is a fundamental human need. When employees and their work are valued, their satisfaction and productivity rise, and they are motivated to maintain or improve their good work.

Praise and recognition are essential to an outstanding workplace. People want to be respected and valued for their contribution. Everyone feels the need to be recognised as an individual or member of a group and to feel a sense of achievement for work well done or even for a valiant effort. Everyone wants a ‘pat on the back’ to make them feel good.

As managers and co-workers, we often need to share difficult feedback and constructive criticism. But how often do we share positive feedback — praise for a job well done? I’m not talking about employee awards.

Those have their place, but I’m talking about words. “Thank you; that was just what I was looking for.” “Thanks for the extra time that you put into this. I know you had to sacrifice some personal time.”

If you recognise your colleagues for a job well done, you will be well on your way to providing a great place to work and an organisation that employees want to be part of.

And that is the spirit of a shujaa.

Mr Waswa is management and HR specialist and managing director of Outdoors Africa. E-mail: [email protected].