Without the culture of recognition and appreciation, the steel that backs the virtue of leadership starts hollowing out. We end up making ineffective long term leaders who look outward to blame for their own failures.
Hero worship and the ever-looming demi-god cult
Indian work culture of hero worship always finds a way to turn any leader into a cult god. The repercussions? The 'leader' then fails to notice the small things, the little slivers of day-to-day leveling up of their team-mates.
It only is a matter of time that the environment turns more toxic; falsely signalling that it is OK to emulate the leader, and fail to notice the efforts and growth of the people around you.
Why does this happen though?
• Putting your team first is (perhaps) looked at from a critical perspective.
• Is a leader who puts her team first (and often), not looked at kindly?
• Is their confidence second guessed and their genius questioned?
• What makes a leader focus on boosting their own image or personal fame?
It's critical to recognize and appreciate a team's hard work than to focus on individual awards or recognition. Corporate tokens of appreciation are just plastic approximations compared to the long term confidence real human appreciation builds.
I hope we can create a work culture where leaders are humble and supportive, while looking at the bigger picture. We only win together.