As a manager of many people, I believe my people’s paychecks are recognition enough, and I would rather not work with people who need to be pampered with plaudits. Besides, I don’t get — or need — that kind of praise from my superiors, so I don’t expect my staff to need it from me. My wife thinks I am off base. What do you think?

I agree with your wife. I am sure that your own lack of need for recognition is one of your greatest strengths. It is a commendable personal attribute. But I also believe it weakens you as a leader.

There is a paradox regarding recognition in the work place. Workers should not have as their primary motivation the desire for recognition. Yet managers do well to dole out recognition in generous portions.

As Catholics, we know a great many saints who worked hard all their lives without receiving any kind of recognition. Even when they were treated unjustly, unappreciated or even persecuted by their own superiors, they persevered through the situation with God’s grace. They found solace in the knowledge that their work was always recognized by Jesus.

Then, too, the employee who is constantly hungry for applause is usually a weakness to his organization — and is rarely doing himself a favor by seeking it out. This is why I coach people to quietly go about their work, looking only to provide an honest day’s work of quality and commitment. When a worker takes this approach, he is set free from the potential vice of vainglory or pride. You know this personally because you live it, but many people forget about the natural virtues that can be strengthened through hard work. They fail to see that these virtues can become bedrock upon which they could build a treasury of saving and sanctifying graces.

On the other hand, when I coach leaders I remind them that they are obligated to recognize the hard work of their employees for several reasons.

First and foremost, it is the right thing to do. Recognition can come in many forms, but the easiest (and often most effective) is a simple expression of gratitude. Thanking employees for their hard work, dedicated efforts and tangible results is a common courtesy. Plus it creates a positive work environment. Nobody wants to work in a place where people are not appreciated. Countless studies on company retention and productivity have revealed that a simple “Thank you” can be an even more powerful tool than a bonus check for assembling and sustaining a loyal and cohesive team.

Recognition is also a great training tool. When you want to raise standards, move people in a different direction or implement new systems or programs, you must recognize the people who are achieving your desired goals. It is a leadership axiom that what is recognized is repeated. Take the time to recognize not only the big victories but also the little things that add up to, and thus create, a joyful and productive corporate culture.

The New Testament is filled with stories of recognition. Jesus praised the centurion for his faith. Early Church leaders constantly reminded the faithful to, for example, “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today’” (Hebrews 3:13). And examples abound of St. Paul commending those first Christians for the good works they did and the evangelistic mission they were committed to — even when his writing had been occasioned by the need to issue a reprimand or a corrective.

I recommend that you follow your wife’s intuition and learn the skill of recognizing the people who report to you. You will be rewarded in ways you cannot now imagine.

Catholic author,

consultant and

motivational speaker Dave Durand is online at DaveDurand.com.