Attention, Appreciation, and Affection

In his column in the latest issue of Exchange (May/June 2012), "The Three A's:  Attention, Appreciation, and Affection," Dennis Vicars was reflecting on odd tidbits he remembered from his college years.  One tidbit was a professor who closed a lecture on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs by saying: "Remember this, young people.  All of us need the 3 A’s or we’ll never get close to fulfilling our full potential.  We all need attention, ­appreciation, and affection.  Don’t ever forget it!"

Vicars observed:

"Well, I obviously haven’t forgotten it.  My only question is why don’t I employ these more with my own ­children and the people who are kind enough to work with me every day.  In truth, it really doesn’t take that much effort — and the payoff is tremendous....

"The 3 A’s: Attention, Appreciation, and Affection.  As managers and leaders, they cost us nothing to deploy.  They require no financial resources, capital expenditure, or five-year strategic planning.  The opportunities are before us every day.  All that is required is for us to take a ­little time out of our busy lives, get past our personal reluctance and fear of rejection, and focus on those human needs that help people feel good about themselves, you, and the task at hand.  It only takes a small commitment by us, the managers, or better yet, the change agents within our enterprise.  As the Nike ads proclaim: 'Just do it.'

"One last lesson, remembered from ­English literature.  In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia says, 'We know what we are, but not what we may be.'  What we may be is determined in large part by the attention, appreciation, and affection we receive from the people we trust, admire, and follow.  As Professor Hicks said, 'Don’t ever forget it!'"

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