13 Mar Boring Little Miracles

From SHRM, this article goes into the importance of “boring little miracles” in the workplace

The success of an organization is often borne on the backs of people performing boring little miracles.

Boring little miracles don’t make headlines. They, perhaps purposely so, fly under the radar, disguised as everyday tasks performed under pressure or work that doesn’t feel like much to the person performing it. People performing boring little miracles get the job done and then pack up and go home like it was no big deal.

But it IS a big deal.

Boring little miracles add up over time. They are the compounding interest of organizational productivity, and they are performed by people who invest early and often. These miracles sneak up on you and can quickly become the expectation rather than the exception.

Boring little miracles are still miracles.

They aren’t jobs or tasks that are easy, they just appear that way because of the person doing the work. Highly experienced and highly trained professionals doing what they do don’t have to sweat the work that other people dread. They just do it.

“Hey, she’s always been good at this stuff”,” or “Well, he’s the only one who knows how to do it,” you might hear around the office. But you shouldn’t take it for granted.

Recognize and reward the behavior you want to see more of. Make space for the work that grabs headlines AND the work that doesn’t in your rewards and recognition structure. Pay special attention to the people who prefer to stay out of the spotlight; honor their work and contributions because it is important, not necessarily because it grabs attention.

Make recognition for this work specific. Make it count.

Do it well enough, and your team and organization might just become a boring little miracle itself.

Read the article.

Source:
Escobar C. (26 February 2018). “Boring Little Miracles” [Web Blog Post]. Retrieved from address https://blog.shrm.org/blog/boring-little-miracles