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Day 1 - Appreciation

Day 1 - Appreciating Others

I suffered from the concept of ‘positive illusion’, which simply says we think we are better than we actually are (e.g. most people think they are better than average drivers – that can’t be true!).

Reflecting back to when I was Head of Schools, because I sometimes gave appreciation to some people, I think I thought that I was doing a great job with appreciation. I wasn’t. (I’m not alone – a recent global leadership study found a gap of 36% between what appreciation people expected from their boss, and what they actually received).  

Remember, appreciation should be given to someone for something they have put in lots of effort/ struggle with, not necessarily the most publicly visible thing that they have done. Otherwise, it can be counterproductive and backfire.

So here is a little checklist; use it as you see fit. Fill in the timeframe (monthly/ termly etc.), people’s names of everyone who you should be appreciating, and the biggest project (in terms of their effort), and a specific reason for appreciation.

Click here for the 'Appreciation Checklist'.

 

 

Day 2 - Listening

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