Did You Expect Thanks?
A top de-motivator at work is lack of recognition or lack of appreciation. This is not a new fact nor should it be surprising to you. It surfaces time and time again employees who feel under appreciated experience low morale and many move on. Even in a difficult economy when in theory it is an employers market, people are not just hanging around thanking their lucky stars that they have a paycheck. If they feel truly under appreciated they are already looking for their next opportunity.
One way or another, this topic does surface during the time I spend with clients, students and with other groups who share their time with me. In fact in one group discussion about manners and communication styles, I conducted an informal survey.
First I asked: “How many of you would like your management to say please when they ask you to do something?” Surprisingly (to me anyway) only a few hands shot up in the air.
Next I asked: “How many of you would like to be sincerely thanked for the work you perform?” Almost every hand in the room was raised.
My final question was: “How many of you remember to thank your teams and to let them know you appreciate their work?” Maybe half of the room raised their hands. OUCH
Scientific? No.
You understand that as a leader it is important to sincerely appreciate your team and to recognize them for their contributions. Either you do this or you do not. What about you? YOU probably want to be appreciated too. When you do not feel appreciated I bet your morale lags too. The trouble is some people seem to think that leaders are different. Leaders do not need appreciation for their efforts. In fact some people take a very harsh view on this, something along the lines of “Well that is why you get paid the big bucks” or “If you don’t want the hassles, then don’t take the job.”
I do not suggest that as a leader you should tell your team how lucky they are to have you or keep reminding them of everything you have done for them. I am asking you to think about how you behave when you do not receive appreciation or recognition. Because you are at level of increased responsibility, more is expected of you. This means you need to find ways to manage your morale during those times when you work your tail off and you feel like nobody is noticing.
What do YOU do to satisfy YOUR need for recognition and appreciation? I want to learn your tips for managing your own morale, when the thanks just don’t come your way.
What is Motivation?
Motivation is the most important determinant for individual performance; yet, it is also the most difficult to analyze and define. Though behavior can be observed, motivational impact cannot be studied directly. The conceptual nature of motivation has given rise to the need for theories and models to help organizations better understand motivation. These theories have been divided into two categories: Content and Process.
The Merits of Learning Professionals with Training and Coaching Skills
Facing Risk
All managers especially project managers are faced with risk at one time or another as the future cannot be predicted accurately managers have to take a position when facing risk. I looked at some real life situations from the past and found that the examples set by these persons is very similar to the responsibilities that project managers are faced with.
Goal Setting Versus ROI
Managing Issues the Green Way

Project Management facing the financial crisis in 2008
"The Roles PMOs can Play in IT Modernization"
“Effective IT modernization requires organization, and we believe that the concept of a project management office (PMO) or multiple project management offices is crucial to organize for, and facilitate IT modernization.” That's the conclusion of recent research from Gartner Inc., which argues that -- in addition to working hard and tackling challenges -- IT should think about establishing project management offices (PMO) and embracing cutting-edge project management technologies and methodologies.
How Can a PMO Go Green?
Chaotic Project Management, part 1
I always thought that writing a good spec before programming is mandatory.
I like short but frequent discussions where a project spec is being written. I found out that having a spec (Agile, or not) is something mandatory. Ever since I understood I have to demand a spec from the customer, even if I have to sit down with him and write it together (frequently), programming became a much faster and easier task to commit.