Just Plain Bill
Acknowledgement!
When I started my career in the business
world back in the early 80s, I was introduced to two books: Corporate
Culture, by Terrence Deal and Allan Kennedy, and In Search of Excellence,
by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman.
Coming from the not-for-profit sector as a
public school educator and youth worker, these books highly influenced my
perspective and approach to my career as a learning and development consultant.
Over the past 30 plus years, I’ve been
encouraged, educated, and inspired by the works of Tom Peters. His website consists of a
treasure trove (I like that phrase but don’t often use it, saving it for the
truly remarkable) of thought-provoking writing.
My most favorite of his writings, first
read in 2012, was titled Acknowledgement! In addition to some personal
examples of receiving and gifting acknowledgement, he includes what he calls
“caselets” about a variety of people responding to acknowledgement. The nine
examples are golden, and are followed by “A Note About Body Language and
Acknowledgement” – a must-read for anyone who can influence the work and lives
of others.
I’ll close with two of my favorite quotes
that Peters sprinkles throughout the 12 pages:
The only true gift is a portion of yourself.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
It is the burning desire for the creature to count.
What man really fears is not extinction, but extinction
with insignificance.
- Ernest Becker
Whom have you acknowledged lately? There’s
still time today – so just do it!
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