What Gets Noticed Gets Repeated

What Gets Noticed Gets Repeated

When you own the business, you’re the one people turn to when things go wrong. It’s understandable, it makes sense. The downside to that, however, is that you can get so bogged down by what’s wrong, that you never have time to focus on what’s right. There are those small, invisible things that are supporting, nurturing, and growing the business that most people don’t even think about. Good work like that often doesn’t make a lot of noise. If everything is running as it should, there’s no problem to bring to your attention. The better your team gets at doing their jobs, the less you may actually see of what they’re doing.

That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be recognised.

Start by making invisible work visible. It doesn’t have to be a whole production, sometimes it’s simply saying, “I noticed that…”. But not just “great job”, rather telling someone what they did well and why it mattered. It’s not just about their contribution, it’s about knowing their work is noticed, and how it’s important. That’s how you make that work the standard and that’s how you get it to be repeated. It’s particularly important when you’re trying to build a team that takes ownership rather than waiting for the you, the owner, to step in.

One of the easiest mistakes, though, is thinking that recognition needs to be reserved for major milestones.

It doesn’t.

Progress is worth recognising too. Maybe someone has started making better decisions without asking for permission. Maybe they’ve improved a process or handled something differently because they’ve learned from a previous experience. Those moments matter because they show the business is moving forward, and when you acknowledge it, you reinforce the behaviour you want to see again. If you notice people taking ownership, they’re more likely to take ownership again. If you notice people supporting each other, you make that behaviour part of the culture. Over time, those small acknowledgements create a clearer picture of what good looks like.

The strongest cultures don’t rely on someone remembering to give praise, they make recognition built into how the business operates. A quick mention in a meeting. Asking about the team’s wins. Taking a moment at the end of the week to recognise something that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

It doesn’t need to take long. The goal is simply to make sure the things you want more of aren’t invisible.

So, take a look at your team this week and ask yourself: who is doing something well that I haven’t acknowledged? Then tell them.

Because sometimes building a stronger culture isn’t about introducing something new. It’s about getting better at noticing what’s already happening.