Workplace Recognition Is Actually Reassurance—and Necessary
People need weekly recognition at work to feel safe, not special.
Recognition is pretty popular in the world of organizational psychology, with good reason. Were leaders somehow forced to pick only one behavior to drive team performance, recognition would be their best bet, because it would lead the team to self-govern.
For a leader to be great, it is almost a requirement to be generous with providing recognition, as it is one of the most powerful drivers of discretionary effort. When people are recognized, they work harder. Anyone who has ever led effectively either knew this instinctively or figured it out pretty quickly.