Recently, I was conducting a workshop with high potential women from a Fortune 500 company. One of the participants mentioned she was new to her team, and really wanted to fit in and develop great working relationships with the new team members.
My advice was to proactively look for ways to assist the other team members and look for opportunities to publically recognize their support. Staff meetings are a great place to talk about the great work others on the team are doing and to recognize any help they have provided to you. Also, any time you make a presentation you should consciously think about how you can recognize and talk positively about others in the audience.
While coaching an employee, I observed her as she presented a recently completed project. She did a great job of giving an update on the technical aspects of the project and the value it would provide to the company, but what she failed to do was mention others in the audience who had been involved –even remotely. During our debrief, we talked about the fact there were several people in the room who she could have mentioned. They provided early guidance, lent resources or their support for her project. It just did not occur to her to do this. It was a missed opportunity to gain their trust and support.
Had she included these “mentions” in her presentation she would have recruited a loyal following and support for her next project. She would also have built up trust with these individuals. Never miss an opportunity to bring positive exposure to others. In the end, it is you who benefits the most from public thank you’s and acknowledgement.