Working with others
Recognize exactly what they did
A micro habit for recognizing someone on your team so it tells them something they can use
Tell your report exactly what they did and what it made possible, in public or in private, whichever they'd prefer.
- 5 minutes
- You and one report
- Weekly
- Quick
Why this can work
General praise feels good for a moment and teaches nothing. Naming the specific thing, and what it made possible, gives someone information they can act on.
Read moreHow to recognize an employee's work
You’ll come away with a report who knows what worked, why it mattered, and that you saw it.
- Catch one specific thing.
Something from the past few days: a decision they made, a problem they spotted, the way they handled a difficult customer. The more recent, the better it lands.
- Name what it made possible.
The effect is the part people rarely hear. For example: because you flagged the contract issue early, we renegotiated before it cost us anything.
- Say it the way they'd like.
If you know how they like to be recognized, use that. If you don't, ask once and remember the answer.
You“When you do something great, would you rather I say so in front of the team, or just to you?”Tip: Ask in an ordinary week, not right before you praise them, so it reads as interest in them rather than a setup.
- Say it, and stop there.
Resist adding a next step or a but. Recognition that ends in a request reads as a warm-up for the request.
To: your reportWhat they did. Because of that, what it made possible. Thank you. I noticed, and it mattered.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud.
Good times to repeat it: within a day or two of the thing itselfonce a week, for someone on your teamat the end of a hard stretch
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Visible work from confident people is easy to notice. Once a month, look for the person whose care kept something from going wrong.
What might make this harder
Keep it short and factual, in the channel you'd use anyway. Specific tends to read as sincere rather than gushing.
Questions people ask
How do you recognize an employee's work?
Name exactly what they did and what it made possible, soon after it happens, in public or in private depending on what they'd prefer.
Should I praise employees in public or in private?
Ask them. Some people enjoy public recognition and others find it uncomfortable. Asking once, and remembering, is part of recognizing them well.
How often should managers recognize their team?
Often enough that it feels normal, as long as it's specific and earned. A short, specific note to someone on the team each week is a good rhythm.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Plenty of people at work can't tell which of their efforts are landing. They put energy into a dozen things and hear about the one that went wrong. The most useful thing recognition does is tell someone what to keep doing. A general “great job” can't do that. “Because you rewrote the handoff notes, the new hire was taking calls on day two” can.
From your report's side, specific recognition answers a quieter question too: does my manager actually see my work? A vague thank-you can suggest you didn't really look. A specific one shows you did. That's why it tends to matter far more than its size would suggest.
Where you say it is personal. Some people love hearing it in front of the team; for others, public praise is the worst part of their week. Asking how someone likes to be recognized is itself a way of recognizing them. It shows you're paying attention to the person, not following a program.
The moment just before hard feedback is the wrong time for praise. Used as a cushion, it spoils both: the praise feels like a setup and the concern gets blurred. Keep them separate, a few days apart if you can.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Working with others
A few minutes that compound
Do it with Truest and it goes on your permanent record, in a Career Vault your employer doesn’t own.
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.