In today’s agile environment our teams are performing more tasks in rapid succession and switching to new tasks to complete at a fast pace. With so many tools to help us get faster at doing our jobs and to complete more things were moving faster than ever to the next task. The one thing that hasn’t changed is that it's still people at the heart of getting these things done. I've been very fortunate to have worked and currently work with so many amazing people and teams that complete complex tasks that push us as a corporation to hit critical milestones and they do it day in and day out. If there is anything that I have learned as a leader and coworker(…and as a husband), I don’t express my appreciation outwardly enough to all I work with. A lesson I see repeatedly learned too late at work and in life is that we wait until someone is gone to express our gratitude for them and all the amazing things they do. I used to think I couldn’t recognize someone without some big combo or cash award, and while that never hurts being able to give those out, most of the time it’s just the simple act of letting someone know that you are thankful and grateful for the work that they did. We’re all so busy that the simple act of slowing down for a second and letting someone know that they made an impact, and you acknowledge that, creates a culture where people are appreciated and creates stronger teams.

If there was ever a challenge that I would want people to embrace and perform that would have the most impact on the company, it would be for everyone to acknowledge and thank 1 person a day for their work. You can do this through NextGen Kudos, atlas perform feedback, sending a message or just tell them in a meeting. Think about the last time you felt truly appreciated and not have a smile on your face. Now imagine that’s your everyday work environment and how much more you want to make sure we hit our goals when you know you’re appreciated for your work. So go out and recognize someone every day and see the difference it makes for yourself and your teams.