Mattering at Work · Recognition
Praise is cheap. Evidence is not.
Generic recognition tells a person that someone remembered to say something. Specific recognition tells them what they did, that it was seen, and that the organization can describe their contribution without them in the room. Only the second one changes behavior.
I contribute
Adding value
You notice
Feeling valued
You name the impact
Feeling valued
I can see the difference I made
Adding value
What the difference sounds like
Generic
Great work this quarter.
Specific
You caught the pricing error before it went out. That is the second time you have found something in that model.
Generic
Thanks for being such a team player.
Specific
You stayed on the call after the client got frustrated and reset the conversation. That saved the renewal.
Generic
You are crushing it.
Specific
You are the person we rely on when the data does not agree with the story. Keep doing that.
The six practices
01
Naming what a person is relied upon for
Tell people what the team counts on them for, and why it is them.
02
Contribution-specific recognition
Name what the person did, then the effect it produced.
03
Closing impact loops
Return later and tell people where their work landed.
04
Making contribution visible
Keep individual work legible inside collective results.
05
Auditing attention and credit
Track who gets quoted, cited, and credited, and who does not.
06
Spotting anti-mattering early
Withdrawal, role ambiguity, and quiet exits start long before a resignation.
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