Introduce the activity by discussing the importance of being appreciative and how it can make a positive impact on job satisfaction, relationships with others and the overall work environment. This information can be delivered via lecture or drawn out through group discussion. Either way, the following points should be made:

• • When you appreciate what you have, instead of dwelling on what you don’t have, you stay in a more positive frame of mind. You tend to be happier and others want to be around you.
• • When you take the time to thank someone for doing a good job, they are likely to perform at the same level — or do even better — next time. (Studies show that recognition — not money — is the true motivator of productivity.) 
• • In workplaces where people show appreciation to one another, there are fewer situations where people feel taken for granted. As a result, there is less dissatisfaction and resentment.
• • Being appreciative of others (and what they contribute to the organization) is a sign of respect.

Have group members think about a time when someone went out of their way to show them appreciation. How did it make them feel? How did they react? If time allows, have participants share their answers with the group.

Next, have group members think about what/who they should be grateful for (in the context of their job) and how they should show it. Pass out a worksheet containing the following:

Be Appreciative Worksheet

Use the table below to help you show appreciation for the people around you who make it possible for you to do what you do at work.

Optional Follow-Up:  Reassemble the group after they’ve had time to complete the actions they’ve identified. Ask them to share: What reactions did they receive? How did showing appreciation to others make them feel?

Based on material in the Leader’s Guide for the CRM Learning program, Start Right…Stay Right: Orientation Basics

Need help in this area? Encouraging the Heart uses a variety of real world examples to illustrate how important (and easy) it is to recognize the contributions of others.

It is a scientific fact that people perform, to a large degree, according to the expectations others have for them*. If deep down, a manager believes his or her subordinates are incompetent and irresponsible, the chances are good that the employees will act that way.  Conversely, if a manager treats employees as competent and responsible, the employees will generally live up to those expectations. 

This exercise will give trainees an opportunity to explore various scenarios that might occur within a work environment.  Each scenario involves a manager and one or more employees.  Have the group divide into groups of two or three.  Each group should read some or all of the scenarios and explore the following issues relative to each one.

1)   Is the manager communicating high or low expectations to the employee by his/her behavior?
2)   How do you think the employee(s) will react to the manager’s behavior?  Choose several adjectives
       that you believe describe this reaction (e.g., angry, motivated).
3)   If low expectations are being communicated by the manager in the scenario, answer this question:
       If you were the manager in this scenario and wanted your employee(s) to respond in a positive
       manner, what would you have done differently?
4)   If high expectations are being communicated by the manager in the scenario, discuss what
       benefits might result. For the sake of contrast, pretend the manager in the scenario held low
       expectations for the employee(s); what might that low-expectation manager have done in these
       scenarios and what would the result be?

Scenario 1)
Jim is the production floor manager at Acme Cabinets.  He supervises over 100 assemblers who work on the company’s day shift assembling audio-visual cabinets.  He has noted a recent decline in productivity and an increase in error rate.  In order to improve performance, Jim has posted a chart in the lunchroom.  This chart contains the names of all the employees as well as their daily performance (by number of cabinets assembled) and their error rate (by number of mistakes). 

Scenario 2)
Lynn is the director of a nonprofit organization that works with local children and teachers to build their arts education programs.  She has recently hired several individuals who previously worked as classroom teacher aides.  Her intent was to have them do clerical tasks for her professional staff.  However, one of the aides has shown an exceptional talent for painting and sculpture. Lynn has asked this aide to design a program that would introduce pre-school children to art and, in order to help train the aide, has enrolled her in a child development class at a local college.

Scenario 3)
Gina is the newly appointed Manager of Marketing Communications for a large corporation.  She is responsible for the activities of seven employees, all of whom have been with the company for several years and are experienced, creative and competent at their jobs.  In an effort to appear strong and managerial, Gina has “laid down the law” in her new department.  She has asked everyone to account for their time by project and to submit a weekly report of their activities.  In addition, she has installed a sign in/out board to keep track of employee breaks and lunch hours.

Scenario 4)
Jill recently returned to her job as Executive Assistant after two months of maternity leave.  Her boss, Susan, is thrilled to have Jill back because the temp assigned to cover for Jill left a lot to be desired.  However, in the past week, Susan has noticed that Jill is very tired and is spending a lot of time on personal calls.  While Jill’s work is getting done, and the quality hasn’t suffered, Susan voices her concerns.  Jill confesses that her babysitter isn’t working out and that the baby is keeping her up at night.  Susan explains that while she is sympathetic, it is important that Jill reduce the number of personal calls she is making and be more alert on the job.  She also asks Jill to take on the added responsibility of a special research project because “no one else in the company is capable of finishing it on time”.

*The “Pygmalion Effect” is a scientifically documented phenomenon explored in numerous studies, books and articles. For more information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_Effect

Need help in this area? The Pygmalion Effect, one of CRM’s bestselling programs, provides an outstanding overview of self-fulfilling prophecies and teaches strategies for bringing out the best in people by communicating high expectations.