How do you “Thank the Band:” Reflecting on the Art of Recognition in Everyday Leadership

Black and white photo of a band

As fall begins (yay for pumpkin spice and candy corn), I have been reflecting on my summer. This summer I had the chance to attend a variety of in-person music events, including a few concerts with my older kids and family. (The fun of being the “concert parent.”)   My kids have become accustomed to how I notice things throughout different experiences.  Beyond listening to different genres of music and having different experiences, I have been thinking about how lead singers thank their bands.  One of my top reads this year was Zach Mercurio’s The Power of Mattering, which highlights many important leadership and living practices.  It deepens what Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner referred to as “Engaging the Heart,” as one of the top five leadership practices. 

Big Idea Upfront:   Expressing authentic appreciation and gratitude is an essential leadership practice to create meaningful connections and workplaces. 

NOTE: Leadership practices refer to any practice that displays leadership and is not tied to a position or a role of authority.

(1)   Not at all: fortunately, I didn’t see this practice anywhere in the concerts I attended to.  Every single artist – including the new and opening acts – took time to ask the audience to share in recognizing the band.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of leaders who have mental models that appreciation in the workplace isn’t important. (Think: Why should I thank people for doing a job I pay them for?) Yet, research by Gallup and the Workhuman Institute indicate that well-recognized employees are less likely to leave an organization - 45% less likely.

(2)   Performing appreciation:  Appreciation and recognition that is done because it is what is supposed to be done.  What this looked like at a concert is the generic  “Help me thank the band.”   In the workplace, this might look like ambiguous, generic gratitude.   While there are times to express broad appreciation (think large team, large audience), the recognition and appreciation that have a deeper impact are specific to a person and actions with the result.

Avoid: Vague, generic, and unconnected appreciation.

(3)   Authentic gratitude and appreciation:  The artist I noticed most (Hozier – I’m comfortable highlighting excellence, but won’t critique artists that I know worked hard to make a great experience.)     What stood out for how this artist recognized his team was threefold: personalization, expanded appreciation, and shared spotlight.

·       Personalization: He shared the name of each person, where they were from and often a small personal story or fact.  I could hear the genuine care for each person as he talked about them. 

·       Expanded:  He didn’t just highlight those on the stage (which was an expansive band), but also highlighted many individuals who made the show happen.  He took appreciation to the next level by helping people see the often-unseen work that makes something great happen.

·       Shared spotlight:  While not done in words, the action of highlighting the exceptionalism of others; this form of appreciation and recognition showed those watching that he knew the entire show and band were better because of others.

What to do: Appreciation Practices?

1.      Audit Your Practices:  As with all things leadership, the first step is to consider what your practices are now. 

Questions to ask yourself:

·       Who do you notice?

·       Who do you highlight? 

·       What does your appreciation look like to others?  

·       What feedback do others have for how you recognize the work of others?

·       How do your team members like to be appreciated or recognized?

·       When was the last time you learned something new about one of your team members?

2.      Develop an Action Plan:   No matter how good you might be at appreciation and recognition, there are likely opportunities to refine your practice.  It might be the realization that you don’t actually have an active practice, so you could consider new practices. 

Example practices:

·       Setting a reminder or setting a weekly habit of sending gratitude and appreciation cards or emails.

·       Daily reminder to pause and appreciate someone’s work

·       Habit stacking – building a meeting agenda; how can you cultivate the culture of peer and leader recognition?  (I do love that James Clear made habit stacking a more common knowledge area!)

3.      Actively Cultivate Meaningful Appreciation:  This practice captures the notion that recognition and appreciation are not “one size fits all.   Instead, smaller leadership practices build to this one: noticing people, seeking to understand their goals, and understanding what appreciation and recognition look like for each person. 

So, how do we “thank the band” in our own workplaces? We start by noticing… really noticing… the people who make things happen, often without fanfare and behind the scenes. We move beyond the performative and into the personal, expanding our lens to include those behind the scenes and sharing the spotlight with intention.

Appreciation isn’t a leadership accessory; it’s a daily practice that builds belonging, trust, and momentum between individuals and within teams.

Whether you're leading a team, supporting a colleague, or shaping culture from any seat, the art of recognition is yours to cultivate. And when done well, it sounds a lot like harmony.  That’s a band I want to be part of.

Read more:

Mercurio, Z.  (2025).  The Power of Mattering at Work

Gallup & Workhuman Research. Gallup-Workhuman Recognition in the Workplace

Dig Deeper:

Kouzes, J. & Posner, B.  The Leadership Challenge. Buy the book: https://amzn.to/4paYwCT

Mercurio, Z. (2025).  The Power of Mattering. Buy the book: https://amzn.to/3Ia9fN9

Copyright – Dr. Sara Reed, 2025