Acknowledgment...

“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.”            Alfred North Whitehead

While I’ve never read Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten, I think that title is quite possibly literally true. Similarly, many who have succeeded as executives or, perhaps more importantly, at being good people – yes, just plain good people – probably learned a rudimentary skill, one that’s vital to success, very early from their parents as well.

Consider the myriad and multitudes of decisions made during the day or throughout the course of a career, both right and wrong, built upon each other to create who one is or the success one has achieved. Reflect on personal and business relationships – those we value and those we’ve set aside – and how they’ve molded our approach to life, love and work. Recall that last performance appraisal, given or received, and our reaction to glowing praise or honest feedback.

We’ve heard it said many times that the most important words to learn in any language are ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. While certainly necessary to get along in life, the use of those words, along with how we handle nearly every other decision, emotion, reaction, etc. relies on our ability to acknowledge.

Talent unapplied reflects an inability to acknowledge that it requires work to maximize that talent. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” acknowledges a lesson to be learned. “She’s such a quick learner,” acknowledges a highly critical understanding that it’s important to not repeat mistakes. The tone of a ‘please’ acknowledges a need while a sincere ‘thank you’ acknowledges appreciation.

In business, the lack of acknowledgment is rampant and at very level. Lofty professionals eagerly share their latest success only to fail to acknowledge even a single congratulatory comment while some make the time to thank and acknowledge each well-wisher. Job applicants lament the black hole that describes the sheer lack of any acknowledgment, regrettably formulating their opinions of a company’s culture. On the flipside, under or unemployed career seekers find the acknowledgment required for a simple ‘thank you’ for a job offer to be passé.

It’s a big but important word, sometimes misspelled with an errant ‘e’. Like most things in life, it’s about the act, not the word.

“We only acknowledge small faults in order to make it appear that we are free from great ones.”                 Francois de la Rochefoucauld