How Well Do Your Leaders Value People’s Contributions at Work?
Each year, we conduct an organizational culture survey over half a million employees to understand what drives engagement, loyalty, and discretionary effort. Across industries and geographies, two questions consistently stand out — each showing a correlation greater than 0.73 with higher performance, advocacy, and retention:
- Leaders in this organization value people as their most important resource.
- If I contribute to the organization’s success, I know I will be recognized.
Taken together, these questions provide a clear measure of how well leaders appreciate and acknowledge employees’ contributions. Recognition signals to employees that their work matters, reinforcing purpose, motivation, and alignment with organizational goals.
Ultimately, valuing people’s contributions goes beyond occasional praise. It’s about creating a culture where leaders consistently connect performance to purpose, ensure line-of-sight between individual effort and organizational success, and actively celebrate the impact employees make every day. When done well, this approach:
- Strengthens engagement.
- Reduces turnover.
- Fosters a workplace where people are eager to contribute their best.
Value People’s Contributions at Work: How to Get It Right
Let’s look at each question.
- Question #1: Leaders in this organization value people as their most important resource.
This question gets to the heart of leadership: do leaders genuinely see employees as their most critical asset? Leaders who hold this belief create environments where employees feel valued every day and trust in leadership is high. But trust and appreciation aren’t given — they are earned through consistent, visible, and meaningful actions that put employees first.
When decisions are made, do your employees truly come first—or is it easy to assume they will follow without feeling seen, heard, and supported? Valuing people requires intentional effort, from everyday interactions to strategic choices, ensuring employees feel respected, recognized, and empowered to contribute their best.
- Recognizing Contributions
Recognition is central to engagement. Every person wants to be seen, appreciated, and acknowledged for the value they create. In the workplace, the feeling of being underappreciated isn’t just emotionally discouraging; it can undermine leadership influence and weaken team performance.
Leaders who consistently recognize contributions reinforce purpose, strengthen trust, and amplify motivation, creating a culture where engagement and high performance naturally follow. Recognition signals that effort matters, that results are seen, and that each individual is a critical part of the organization’s success.
Together, these two dimensions — valuing people and recognizing contributions — provide a clear measure of leadership effectiveness. When employees feel both respected and appreciated, they experience greater satisfaction, stronger alignment with organizational goals, and a deeper commitment to contribute at their highest level. Leaders who prioritize this understanding are not only building engagement — they are shaping an organization capable of sustained performance and resilient growth.
How To Value People’s Contributions at Work
Many employees hesitate to showcase their accomplishments because it can feel like bragging — but everyone wants to feel that their work matters. As a leader, you play a critical role in bridging that gap. By intentionally recognizing and highlighting contributions, you create a culture where people feel seen, appreciated, and motivated to give their best. Simple, consistent actions can transform individual effort into a shared sense of purpose and reinforce the value each person brings to the organization.
- Start by Setting Realistic Expectations
One of the biggest barriers to valuing contributions at work is unclear expectations. If employees don’t have a clear line-of-sight to goals, accountabilities, and desired behaviors, it’s impossible for them to create meaningful value — or feel truly recognized for it.
Leaders should work with their teams to establish clear goals, defined roles, and measurable performance indicators. Equally important is aligning on how contributions will be acknowledged and how outcomes will be addressed — ensuring recognition and consequences are meaningful, proportionate, and consistent with your workplace culture.
While every individual is unique and deserves personalized support, clarity lays the foundation. When expectations are explicit, appreciation is not arbitrary — it becomes deliberate, relevant, and impactful, reinforcing both trust and engagement.
- Actively Engage Your Team
Set up one-on-one engagement meetings with each team member are essential for understanding and valuing their contributions. Use this time to review recent accomplishments, explore ways they can continue to grow, and ask directly how you can better recognize their efforts.
These conversations do more than provide recognition — they create a safe space for dialogue, reveal hidden challenges, and help you remove obstacles that may be limiting performance. When employees feel heard and supported, they gain the confidence and clarity to seek new opportunities to excel, further enhancing their impact and reinforcing a culture of engagement and appreciation.
- Set the Example
Once expectations are clear and you understand how your team wants to be recognized, make acknowledgment a consistent habit. In every meeting, email, or presentation, give credit where it’s due. Be the leader who actively notices and celebrates the great work of others, highlighting extraordinary accomplishments in a meaningful way.
Equally important is following through on the engagement actions you discuss with employees. When your behavior consistently reflects appreciation and accountability, it sets the tone for the entire team. This modeling not only reinforces a culture of recognition but also inspires others to do the same, creating a more motivated, positive, and high-performing work environment.
- Ensure Career Alignment
The most powerful motivators are intrinsic — rooted in purpose, mastery, and personal growth. For complex or challenging work, intrinsic motivation drives engagement, creativity, and higher performance. Take the time to align roles with each individual’s strengths, interests, and career aspirations. When employees find their work meaningful and stimulating, they are not only more satisfied but also more committed to contributing at their highest level.
The Bottom Line
Every employee wants to know their contributions make a difference, and every leader wants a team performing at its best. Valuing people’s work is essential for engagement, trust, and sustained performance. The question is: are you intentionally creating a culture where contributions are seen, recognized, and celebrated every day?
To learn more about engaging your team, download Top 10 Most Powerful Ways to Boost Employee Engagement
Tristam Brown is an executive business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.
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