Are you Paying Attention?

Did you catch the Office this week? Throughout the whole thing, Pam is trying to participate in Michael's Survivor-style games to prove her potential, but Michael is too thick to notice because he's too focused on his own agenda.

Yes, it is fiction. I know this. But this really happens all too often. I once saw a chain bookstore employee remove rows of books from the shelves to re-sort them because they were so far off of what the category signs described. The manager approached her and demanded an explanation. When it was given, rather than being praised for her initiative, she was scolded for taking on so large a task just before a new shipment was coming in. And this in front of a store full of people.

Next time you're at work, take a good look around you. Notice and appreciate those people who are doing the things that they aren't required to do. Thanking those people publicly may just energize your entire team. And one more hint - it works up the ladder as well as down.