It not unusual to say that employees need to be held accountable. And what that usually means is that they are responsible for anything that doesn’t go well. Unfortunately, this accountability often doesn’t extend to giving them credit for successes. And, if you work in a team environment you know that one or two people on the team typically get credit for the work of the entire team. Of course, there’s reasons why this happens and things you can do when this happens. And, there’s things you shouldn’t do. But, that’s not what today is about. Day 16 of the Happiness Challenge asks you to give credit to someone on your team.

In prior posts, I mentioned that speaking positively about someone could be done when they weren’t around. And that to do so would still get you some of that happiness we are all seeking in this happiness challenge. Today, however, I’d ask that you give credit to a team member while in their presence.

Why is today different?

Because most any supervisor that’s reading this is someone who already gives credit to his/her team. Any non-supervisor that’s arrived at this happiness challenge also makes sure credit is given where credit is due.

Typically though, the team member doesn’t know about it.

And, typically that team member assumes that accountability does not extend to getting positive credit for their work.

So today, I ask that you go out of your way to give credit to someone on your team.

And remember, it’s best to be specific about what they did when you give credit.

  • Good: Frank was responsible for all the logistics for this event. His attention to detail in coordinating the speakers is why the event was so successful.
  • OK: Frank was a large part of why the event was so successful. He deserves all the credit.
  • Bad: I can’t take all the credit for this event’s success. Frank did a lot too.

So start thinking about what you can give credit for to a team member today. Even if you aren’t a supervisor, you can still give credit to someone on your team that is frequently the ‘unsung hero.’

For myself, my first meeting of the day is an opportunity to highlight my team member’s role in completing a large, organization-wide competency analysis.

Now, the hardest part of keeping on track with a challenge is the accountability and support to keep on going. I hope you’ll follow along with me and the other Fed Fans that are participating. I also hope that you’ll share your successes with us either on twitter #happieratwork or on the Fedability facebook page. You can find me on twitter @danaesims_iopsy. Or, you can leave a comment in the space below.

I look forward to hearing how today’s challenge goes!