Radical Recognition
The great resignation was partly a failure of great recognition — rebuild appreciation as a digital ritual.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 85%
Radical recognition is Dhawan's practice of deliberately rebuilding the moments of appreciation, inspiration, and team spirit that used to happen organically in the lunchroom and at the water cooler. Because those spontaneous moments are gone in distributed work, leaders must create rituals for recognition that happen anytime, anywhere. Done right it is more inclusive than the old office — focused on merit rather than proximity, reaching people not physically present. It ranges from weekly virtual shout-outs and named recognition to birthday calls, and also shows up in actions like meeting-free mornings and in vulnerable storytelling that builds psychological safety. Dhawan links the great resignation partly to a failure of great recognition.
Origin
Dhawan observed that the moments teams felt they lost most in the remote shift were recognition, inspiration, and social connection, and concluded that leaders could deliberately recreate — even improve — these through digital rituals.
Core principles
- 01Recognition that used to happen at the water cooler must now be built as a deliberate ritual.
- 02Reward merit and contribution, not proximity to the boss.
- 03Make recognition inclusive of people not physically in front of you.
- 04Recognition is shown as well as said — time off and mental-health breaks count.
How to run it
- 1
Institute a recurring recognition ritual
Set up regular, predictable moments of gratitude — weekly virtual shout-outs, a gratitude channel, or named recognition of great work.
Pro tip One leader opens every team meeting by highlighting specific great work by name across teams in the first two minutes.
- 2
Anchor recognition to merit, not proximity
Deliberately recognize contribution and results rather than the people you happen to see most, making recognition inclusive of remote and quieter contributors.
Watch out Proximity bias rewards the visible, not the most talented — fight it consciously.
- 3
Show recognition, don't just say it
Back words with actions: meeting-free mornings, funded lunches, or time to get away, plus vulnerable storytelling that gives others permission to be open.
Pro tip Some teams created meeting-free Wednesday mornings as a tangible reward for hard work.
In the wild
During Covid, one boss of a 1,600-person organization personally called every single employee on their birthday. It wasn't about the call itself but the message: I see you as a person and part of the team beyond just your work.
→ It signaled genuine individual recognition at scale, reinforcing belonging in a period when connection was scarce.
Host Hala Taha's company runs 'Gratitude Fridays' in a general Slack channel where anyone can kick it off each Friday and list who they're grateful for in the company.
→ The ritual creates a recurring, employee-driven moment of appreciation that makes people feel valued.
Common mistakes
Assuming recognition still happens by itself
The hallway 'great presentation, good job' no longer occurs remotely; without a deliberate space for it, people who stayed up all night on a deliverable get only a 'K.' and feel invisible.
Is it for you?
Best for
Managers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting to rebuild appreciation and belonging on distributed teams.
Not ideal for
Leaders who treat recognition as optional or purely transactional rather than a consistent ritual.
From the transcript
“I believe that one of the reasons there was a great resignation is because we didn't always know how to have a great recognition of…”
From the episode
Erica Dhawan: Digital Body Language, Effective Communication Strategies for the Digital Age
Erica Dhawan