More Than Useful
We talk a lot about people feeling useful at work. Sometimes we focus on people feeling valued at work. But I wonder if we should aim for treasured.
It sounds like a small change of words. Maybe even a slightly sentimental one. But the more I play with it, the more I think there’s something important in the distinction because you can value someone because they’re useful.
They’re productive. Reliable. Experienced. They bring in revenue. They know where everything is. They can fix the spreadsheet everyone else is terrified of touching. Their value is connected, at least partly, to what they can do for us.
And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Work is an exchange. We bring our skills, effort and time, and organisations pay us for them.
But being treasured feels different. Treasured says: I notice you. I know what is particular about you. I recognise what you bring that isn't quite interchangeable with what somebody else brings. I'd notice if you weren't here.
Of course, if employees really are treasure, presumably we should also be able to bury them, put them in a chest or trade them for goods and services. So the metaphor may need some work. But let’s leave that for now.
Valuable things have utility. Treasured things have meaning.
And perhaps that's why so many of our attempts to make people feel valued don't quite land. We recognise outputs. We celebrate achievements. We give awards for exceptional performance. We thank people for going above and beyond.
All good things. But notice how easily appreciation becomes attached to what someone has done.
Sometimes the moments that make us feel treasured have very little to do with performance.
Someone remembers something you told them three months ago.
A leader notices you've gone quiet.
A colleague saves you a seat.
Someone asks for your view because they genuinely want your view, not because consultation was item four on the project plan.
Your manager knows what you're brilliant at, but also what drains the life out of you.
Someone notices your absence before they notice the work that didn't get done.
These are tiny things. Most wouldn't make it into an employee recognition strategy but they communicate something quite powerful: You are not just useful here. You matter here.
And I wonder whether that's the more interesting challenge for leaders. Not simply, How do I show people that I value them? But what would I do differently if I wanted the people around me to feel treasured?
I suspect the answer wouldn't require another program, platform or set of branded thank-you cards.
It might just require us to notice people a little more closely.