On World Mental Health day (10th October), I would like to honour the importance of mental wellness and how we can all have skin in the game of ensuring that we, our family, our friends and our work colleagues have their mental wellness boosted throughout the day.
One area where we can do this is in recognising the value of others. Not just what they do but who they are, and what they bring to your lives and their work.
Recognition Rocks
Recognition Rocks is an initiative being run in Toastmasters District 71 of which I am a member. This years District Leadership Team are really focusing on recognising every member's achievements no matter how small. More than that, they are asking that every Division, Area and Club do the same because when we are recognised for what we do and what we achieve, our confidence grows, our interest grows, our willingness to do more grows and our mental wellness grows.
Catching The Recognition Bug
When we are recognised be others, even in the smallest of ways, we will then begin to pass this energy on through recognising others in return. Wouldn't it be great if we could make recognition infectious, in that everyone could catch the bug of recognition and then pass it on!
I would like to challenge you at a personal and professional level to look at how you could embed Recognition Rocks into your day and your life. Imagine spreading the positive energy of recognition far and wide, or making someone's day, week, month, even life with that recognition of what they have done or even just be their being in your presence or getting into school/college.
Recognition Costs Nothing But Benefits Everyone
For those of you who are in leadership, even in a small business, you do not need a huge budget to recognise your workforce. A small printed certificate, just a mention at the beginning of an all hands meeting, calling out members for their achievements, even the smaller achievements.
Management can also recognise their team members each and every day, even with a 'well done on adding that thought in the meeting, you certainly added value today.
You do not have to be in leadership to recognise the value of another, but when you do recognise that value you are taking on an effective and empowering leadership role.
Recognise The Value
Adding Value is something we all do every single day, but do we get told that we are adding value? Do we feel we are recognised for the value we add. I truly believe that every single person on a team adds value, even the ones who ask what we could call the troublesome questions. It is those questions that can spur a team on to the best outcome.
How can you recognise your own achievements? Do you celebrate your success each day. I often talk to groups of people about how they can seek out and celebrate everything in the say as a success. I bet that when you think about it you will agree that everything you do is successful it's just that you never look at it that way.
Take the simple act of brushing your teeth, or making a cup of tea - all these things you do successfully without thinking about it, when you could be seeing and celebrating them as successes, you could be engaged in a process of self-recognition.
The Recognition Challenge
The challenge I am leaving you with at the end of this post is to see and celebrate everything you do in your day as a success. As you begin to do this for yourself you will then get comfortable with wanting to recognise every single person that you encounter each day.
Recognition Rocks if we let it. If you are in a role of leadership recognition can be as simple as acknowledging the the smallest amount of value that all your workforce adds each day. Every member of your team adds value - the challenge is to take just a few minutes to acknowledge that and celebrate it.
A little about Toastmasters
Toastmasters International UK & Ireland is part of Toastmasters International, a not for profit organisation where like minded people come together to improve their ability to speak and listen. This enables many to become better communicators. Toastmasters also offers leadership opportunities and some leadership mentoring/training. Every new members gets an experienced toastmaster as a mentor with role and skills coaching also available.
This is what Toastmasters offers and it has proven to be priceless to so many of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been part of Toastmasters for the last 100 years.
I love Toastmasters and am so grateful for what it continues to do for me, you can learn more or find a club near you at the Toastmasters International website.
#recognitionrocks #toastmastersinternational #ToastmastersInternationalUK&Ireland
Oct 10, 2025
