Catch People Doing Good

THE GUT CHECK SERIES · Prioritization · No. 2
One leadership question, examined. A new one every Tuesday.

When did you last recognize someone for doing good?

I once served under a commander who would regularly circulate around the various units under his charge, talking with the Soldiers doing their everyday jobs. Over time, he learned so much about what was going on “in the trenches.” That information was invaluable to leading the unit well.

But more valuable than the candid information was the opportunity to catch Soldiers doing good. You see, this commander carried an achievement medal in his pocket. It was a simple bit of ribbon and some shiny metal, but it was a symbol of authoritative recognition that made grown men stand a little taller.

The power wasn’t in the medal. It was in the moment: the unexpected, everyday moment made special because a leader was prepared.

Most of us mean to recognize good work. We notice it, we intend to say something, and then the day moves on. Intent isn’t what’s missing; readiness is. He didn’t decide to recognize someone when he found them. He decided before he left his office, and the medal in his pocket was the proof. Your version doesn’t have to be a medal. A coin, a handwritten card, or five minutes held open on your calendar will do, as long as it is ready before the moment arrives.

Gut check: what “medal” can you put in your pocket today? Walk your floor this week with it, and see who stands a little taller.

Row Well and Live.

Talk this question over with your peers in ERETAI Connect. Request Your Invitation.

Next in the series: Make White Space, arriving next Tuesday. The Gut Check series runs every Tuesday. See every question so far, or start at the beginning with Nobody Meets a Standard They Can’t See.

Cover photo: Capt. Titus Firmin, U.S. Army, via DVIDS.