In every aspect of our lives, there will always be the people who are high-performers, meaning the people that accomplish things well, but they also need extra praise and attention for the tasks they do accomplish. Then there are those that need to feel important in every thing they’re a part of, which is okay, but it’s something their friends, family and leaders have to make sure they’re doing, making that person feel important at all times. Lastly, there are those humble spirits who quietly get things done in the background. They are incredibly hard workers in every task they choose to tackle, they happily jump into the most grueling of endeavors and they don’t need constant praise, so it becomes easy for their hard work to go unnoticed.

We are surrounded by employees, friends, ministry partners, co-workers and fellow volunteers that we not only want to pour into, but that truly need that extra attention and affirmation in their everyday lives. Don’t get me wrong, everybody needs words of affirmation at some point, but there are a few who need it a little more in order to continue excelling in their day to day lives. As a leader, employer, or even just a friend, it can become so easy to get caught up in making sure those people receive all the affirmation and praise that they need, but we forget about the other people who are easier to please than others.

Easy is defined as “without difficulty or effort.” Those people who are more easily pleased, who don’t need extra hand-holding or recognition, and who require a smaller amount of effort, those are the easy ones. Essentially, we forget about those friends, family, employees and volunteers who work just as hard and sacrifice just as much as everyone else (if not more). We forget that, although they don’t need constant admiration or recognition, they still need to feel appreciated and loved every now and then. Their humble spirit will not allow them to come to you and ask for appreciation or affirmation, but instead they’ll continue to do their work, without complaint, all the while silently wishing for just one person to notice their talent and hard work.

When someone doesn’t feel appreciated, or even noticed, they’ll move onto greener pastures with better soil. They will move onto a place where they will feel loved and appreciated, and in turn, that will help them continue to grow. Leaders, you will lose these easy going, hard-working, tenacious and incredible people to this lack of appreciation, and you may not even see it coming.

If you are one of those easy going people, thank you for all you do. I may not know you personally, but I know many people like you. You work and serve those around you with persistence, diligence and without complaint. Thank you for being willing to do the things most people won’t, and for doing it all without expecting even a single compliment in return. If you are in a place where you have felt continually unappreciated or forgotten, it’s okay to move on, there’s a better place waiting for you. Somewhere you will be appreciated, encouraged, and loved. You deserve to be poured into the way you pour into others.

Leaders, employers, friends I know it can be an incredibly difficult balancing act to juggle so many personalities in your life, but it is one of the most important aspects of good leadership. A good leader will find a way to recognize their strengths, build on those strengths and ensure they feel appreciation.

“Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.”

- H. Jackson Brown