Acknowledge: The A in ACE
by Dr. Troy H. Campbell
The ACE model is based on the idea that all great teams take the time to acknowledge, connect, and explore together.
The Forms of Acknowledge
People have a need to be seen and recognized. They need to feel their teammates and leaders see their work and reality, celebrate their skill and accomplishments, and take the time to thank them with earnest gratitude for their work and accomplishments.
See
Acknowledge others by seeing their difficulties, struggles, work, presence, and reality.
On a basic level, this can be as simple as acknowledging someone’s presence in a meeting or a room.
At a deeper level, it is about knowing where others are at, and then letting them know you see where they’re at and are here to support.
Celebrate
Acknowledge others by celebrating their victories, accomplishments, and abilities.
On a basic level, this is giving people a shout-out every time they do something noteworthy.
On a deeper level, it’s about truly showing you appreciate their skills, and taking extra time or resources to acknowledge them through celebration, such as with an award, an extended shout-out, or overflowing compliments.
Thank
Acknowledge others by thanking them for what they have done for you and others.
On a basic level, thanking is adding gratitude to seeing and celebrating.
On a deeper level, you are showing how important and valuable they have been to you and are turning acknowledgement into a social experience about the relationship.
The Science of Acknowledge
Science of Seeing: It’s Fundamental
If someone is in a meeting and no one acknowledges their presence or their needs, they’ll probably feel ignored. And, in that moment, they may even feel something closer to being hated than being liked.
A provocative series of studies by Duke professor Mark Leary and his colleagues found that being ignored by others feels quite similar to feeling hated. Their work on the sociometer theory revealed that when others ignore you, it can seem as if they don’t care for your needs or welfare.
Feeling ignored is even more likely to occur when one has true needs that are not being acknowledged. So, when your audience is struggling or in need, “seeing your audience” is even more important.
Science of Celebrating: Competence and Self-Worth Motives
People have a motive to exert their competence and have it recognized, especially competence that is related to their identity or a contingency of their self-worth. This motive is so strong that people will often value acknowledgement over monetary rewards.
Science of Thanking: Gratitude’s Powers
Gratitude is when a person expresses an emotional, tangible, or interpersonal benefit they have received from another person’s action. Possibly one of the most recognized areas of psychology at the moment, gratitude research has revealed many well-being, bonding, and social benefits from expressing and/or receiving gratitude.
