5 ms·

- I've never been motivated by external acknowledgement of anything I've done. - I don't like getting attention. - I'd gladly accept a non-trivial cash bonus

- I've never been motivated by external acknowledgement of anything I've done. - I don't like getting attention. - I'd gladly accept a non-trivial cash bonus instead of a trophy. The company for whom I work does not officially have any such trophies but some managers-of-managers in some departments tend to publicly acknowledge some achievements now and then. This is not structured and not regular. However, I know many people who _are_ motivated by praise and kudos. I suppose a good manager will try to ensure everyone in his/her team will feel appreciated in a way that works for that person.

koliber 8y ago
I am dealing with this right now at my job. The company has entered a growth stage, and sales is killing it. Every update is about this quota exceeded, that deal closed, or that person bringing in another stellar contract. Overall, it is a nice place to be. However, the dev team is having some negative feelings. On the one hand, people tend to be more humble and not prone to self-promotion or auto-marketing. On the other, the word in the hallway is that developers no longer feel appreciated. I don't know what the solution is. Right now, I am taking the approach of encouraging people out of their comfort zone and owning what they contribute. It is a lot more difficult to make a developer's achievement understood and properly appreciated company-wide, but it is a challenge that I am taking on myself. My goal is to help each dev team member come up with one achievement per week, and we will spend a little bit of time making it presentable and easy to understand. From personal experience, I feel that I don't want to step out and praise myself. It feels like it won't be a net win. However, if someone else praises me in a balanced fashion, it does feel good. Kind of like getting a bouquet of flowers. I would never think that a bunch of flowers would make me feel good. However, on the rare occasion I did get one, it felt strangely fantastic. I guess it's important to evaluate how you think you will feel when you get praise vs. how it actually feels when it is delivered tactfully and honestly. Sometimes, we do a poor job predicting how we will feel. I suggest stepping outside of your comfort zone and being a bit vocal about your contribution.
- nf05papsjfVbc 8y ago
  The key (for me) to feel appreciated is in performance reviews and (hopefully) logically leading to a promotion if the work is that good. Also, getting greater technical challenges and freedom. The odd occasion where praise or acknowledgement of quality of work did matter to me was when it came from those I considered far superior to me in skills that mattered to my work. EDIT: In your case, if you have developers working for you, who are doing good work, one thing you could do is to ensure you mention that to your superiors. It really helps if you can help them understand how the good work makes an impact on the business.

koliber 8y ago

I am dealing with this right now at my job. The company has entered a growth stage, and sales is killing it. Every update is about this quota exceeded, that deal closed, or that person bringing in another stellar contract. Overall, it is a nice place to be. However, the dev team is having some negative feelings. On the one hand, people tend to be more humble and not prone to self-promotion or auto-marketing. On the other, the word in the hallway is that developers no longer feel appreciated. I don't know what the solution is. Right now, I am taking the approach of encouraging people out of their comfort zone and owning what they contribute. It is a lot more difficult to make a developer's achievement understood and properly appreciated company-wide, but it is a challenge that I am taking on myself. My goal is to help each dev team member come up with one achievement per week, and we will spend a little bit of time making it presentable and easy to understand. From personal experience, I feel that I don't want to step out and praise myself. It feels like it won't be a net win. However, if someone else praises me in a balanced fashion, it does feel good. Kind of like getting a bouquet of flowers. I would never think that a bunch of flowers would make me feel good. However, on the rare occasion I did get one, it felt strangely fantastic. I guess it's important to evaluate how you think you will feel when you get praise vs. how it actually feels when it is delivered tactfully and honestly. Sometimes, we do a poor job predicting how we will feel. I suggest stepping outside of your comfort zone and being a bit vocal about your contribution.

nf05papsjfVbc 8y ago
The key (for me) to feel appreciated is in performance reviews and (hopefully) logically leading to a promotion if the work is that good. Also, getting greater technical challenges and freedom. The odd occasion where praise or acknowledgement of quality of work did matter to me was when it came from those I considered far superior to me in skills that mattered to my work. EDIT: In your case, if you have developers working for you, who are doing good work, one thing you could do is to ensure you mention that to your superiors. It really helps if you can help them understand how the good work makes an impact on the business.