The 3-Part Celebration Habit

To make sure you're consistently celebrating and not forgetting in the rush of life, think of building a habit loop (remember the habit loops earlier?). Here's a simple 3-part habit for you as a manager:

Observe — Notice effort or consistency. Train yourself each day to observe at least one thing done well or one person putting in a solid effort. It could be tiny ("the uniforms are always ironed so neatly") or big ("he managed three errands simultaneously flawlessly"). You can even keep a little log or mental note. If you don't observe, you can't appreciate. So step one is to pay attention intentionally to the positives, not just the problems.

Acknowledge — Verbally or in writing. Once you notice, don't keep it to yourself. A thought unexpressed does nothing. So, acknowledge it to the person: "I saw X and I want to acknowledge it." It could be immediate ("Great job with the car parking right now.") or in a more formal round-up ("By the way, last week I noticed how you handled the power outage calmly, thank you."). For ongoing good work, mention it periodically ("I haven't said it in a while, but I really appreciate how you keep the kitchen so organised; it makes everyone's life easier.").

Reinforce — Link praise to role or value. This means connecting that thing they did to why it matters. For example: "Your presence keeps this home calm." Or "The way you take care of the children like family is something we treasure." Or tie it to their role growth: "You've become our go-to person for tech issues — I love seeing you grow into that expert." Reinforcing gives the praise a context: it shows them the bigger picture of why their work counts. It also subtly communicates what behaviours or attitudes you value most.

This habit can be practised in small 15-second interactions or slightly longer chats. Over time, it ensures that a steady flow of positive reinforcement is happening. Positive reinforcement, as we know from psychology, increases desired behaviours and engagement (The Importance of Employee Recognition: Low Cost, High Impact, 2024; Wickham, 2025).