The Power of Acknowledgement

Her name is Destiny Wallace. Earlier this year she sent me an email saying she had read my article about “Extraordinary.” She said she really enjoyed it and wondered if it would be possible to have an hour of my time to discuss the topic. She wanted to be extraordinary. She wanted to experience extraordinary, she wanted to fill her life with extraordinary people, and she wanted to learn how to deal with those people in life who were far from extraordinary.

I met this extraordinary young woman over Zoom. We had a wonderful conversation. She is a student who is very interested in a career in club management. I asked Destiny this simple question. What do you want? She told me that she wanted to get an internship. I asked her where? I was expecting she would answer with a geographic area or two. She answered with the name of a club. Her answer was the name of a specific club. A very Extraordinary Club.

After our call I was moved to send an email the General Manager of that club. I explained that I started writing articles for CMAA in 2003. For the last four years Shelley MacDougall and I have been alternating submissions to the CMAA Coaching Blog each month. In all the years I’ve been writing articles I think I have had eight people acknowledge that they read one of my articles. This fact put Destiny into a special category. I let the Manager know about this extraordinary young woman and suggested that if they are looking for interns, I think she would be a good one. He told me that they would seek her out at World Conference. She will begin her internship in a few weeks at the club she wanted to experience it at. The power of acknowledgement!

I must also acknowledge Ricky Potts who not only read one of my articles but wanted to read every article I have written. I may have even sent him some things that have not been published. How do you think his interest made me feel? The power of acknowledgement!

When I changed careers in the year 2000, I read a book called Work Less, Make More by Jennifer White. I really enjoyed her book. At the end of her book she gave her email address, just like Shelley and I do at the end of our articles. I had never seen that before. I sent her an email telling her how much I enjoyed her book and a few of the things that really moved me.  Jennifer wrote back to me. She said that when she put her email address at the end of the book she then began to worry about what she would do if 10,000 people sent emails. She let me know that I was the only person to email her. The power of acknowledgement.

I am away from home and writing this article on Mother’s Day. It is a day when we acknowledge some special people in our lives. It is a chance to make them feel loved and special. My mother would be 109 years old if she was alive. One of the many things my mother taught me as a young boy was at the end of a meal, I would ask my father if I could be excused from the table. He would let me know if I could be or not. I would then turn to my mother and thank her for the lovely meal. She would reply with you are welcome and I would take my plate and cutlery to the sink. She taught me to acknowledge my dad and my mom for their efforts. At this stage of life, the acknowledgement of the person who made, served or purchased my dinner continues. The power of acknowledgement.

As coaches, Shelley and I can tell you that most people have a need to be seen, to be appreciated, to be recognized, to be valued, or to be encouraged. When people are getting their needs met, you can get a glimpse of the best of them. When we acknowledge someone or something about someone, we are probably helping them to get a need met. The power of acknowledgement.

Acknowledgement comes in many forms. It could be as simple as making eye contact with someone. It could be a smile. Saying “thank you” is a powerful acknowledgement. You can acknowledge how someone is dressed, or a special skill or talent that they possess. You can acknowledge things you have in common. You can simply be interested in them or be interested in things that interest them. It could be sending an email, writing a card or throwing a party. There are many ways to acknowledge.

I love watching leaders, parents, coaches, spouses, partners, entertainers, and people in general who are skilled at acknowledgement. They bring the best out in the people they interact with. The power of acknowledgement.

There are many people who don’t think about acknowledging others. There are some that choose not to. Why should I care about others? I don’t need acknowledgement, why should others need it? I never received acknowledgement. If you acknowledge someone it sometimes makes them feel uncomfortable.

You may be able to find a reason to avoid acknowledging others, but I believe the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Who might you acknowledge today?
What behavior might you acknowledge today?
What big thing or little thing might you acknowledge today?
What form will your acknowledgement take?
How many acknowledgements will you make?
Who can you think of that an acknowledgement from you would mean the world to them?

I would like to end this article with an acknowledgement. I have been encouraged by many that I should use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write my articles. Other than spell check I don’t think I do. I use KD. Kyle and Diane are the ones that make what I write look good and sound like me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The power of acknowledgement!