Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness

I have a friend Brenda Zalter-Minden who makes it her mission in life to be her best self every day. I’m not saying she’s perfect. I’m saying she tries to consistently work from her gifts and to see the strengths in others. As a result, she is quick to acknowledge and recognize greatness in the world and others around her.

She has this cool motto: Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness (FROG)^TM.

When we worked together, anyone who entered her office was reminded of her motto; she has stuffed frogs, ceramic frogs, frog pictures, and even little squishy frogs (that you could take with you if you wanted). She created a space where greatness would be acknowledged and celebrated. She made such an impact by spreading and living the FROG^TM motto that even though she has retired now, people still talk about the meaning of FROG^TM and have frogs of their own in their workspace, reminding them of the importance of recognizing others’ greatness.

The FROG^TM motto has stuck with me too. Like Brenda, I love the idea that recognizing greatness is part of everyone’s everyday experience.

Recognition makes us feel so good and it’s accessible to us any one of us. Everyone can do it. It doesn’t have to cost a penny. It’s not dependent on “title” or role. It makes the world a better place. It can come from within as well as others. And no matter how young or old we are, we crave it.

Recognition doesn’t have to be grand. There are small gestures – a smile, a thank-you, a compliment, a note, an acknowledgement – and there are larger gestures – a gift, a celebration, a public display of achievement. It can be part of our everyday experience, and it can become part of our norms and traditions. It can happen between individuals, within groups, across groups, within organizations, throughout communities and between nations. It’s all around us, if we chose to see it. And there could be more of it, if we choose to attend to it.

Reflection:

1. What greatness have you displayed today?
2. How have you recognized your own greatness?
3. What greatness have you noticed around you?
4. How have you acknowledged it?