This new year, praise your professional rival as well

Recognizing and saluting the achievements of colleagues as well as those outside the office is good for you

- HARISH BHAT

In today's corporate world, we are generally good at singing our own praises. In fact, this is not just another corporate habit; it is turning out to be a dominant trait of many managers. We like to highlight our achievements, and many of us are pretty good at it. Look at the tens of thousands of social media posts all around us (including some of my own), which showcase the winning of some award or recognition. Since there is no dearth of such awards, the potential for self-adulation is infinite.

What's more, many of us also take the time to recognise members of our respective teams, because we believe that this is the right thing to do, and it also helps reinforce good work and morale. All this is important. Our organisations should know what we have been up to, particularly the positive aspects and notable successes. Recognition of our team members for genuine achievements, however small or big they are, helps boost confidence, even productivity. It is a behaviour that deserves reinforcement.

But how often do we recognize and salute people who are outside our teams or who work in other companies, for accomplishments that we truly admire? How often do we salute organisations and brands other than our own for brilliant work that we secretly wish we had done ourselves?

The answer is, rarely.

How many posts or blogs have you seen marking a milestone or a great success achieved by another company, or by a peer who you may regard as your professional rival?

Great sportspersons and artistes do this sometimes but, unfortunately, this has not been the way of the corporate world.