In our experience facilitating leadership programs and team interventions across industries, one truth consistently surfaces: Before teams collaborate, they must first feel seen.
Without acknowledgment, collaboration becomes hollow.
Without acknowledgment, trust remains superficial.
Without acknowledgment, teams are just groups — not communities.
Yet, in the rush of deliverables, deadlines, and decisions, the small act of acknowledging each other often gets overlooked.
This post is a reflection – and a reminder – of why acknowledgment is not a soft, feel-good add-on but a critical leadership skill.
A Moment from the Workshop Floor: The Tower of Brahma
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In a recent experiential workshop, we introduced a simple yet powerful puzzle challenge: The Tower of Brahma.
As part of the exercise, teams were given a few minutes to plan before executing the challenge. One participant, Alok from Team 3, quickly declared:
“I’ve cracked it. This is too easy! Let’s get started.”
Despite our reminder that planning time was still available and that all six members needed to understand the puzzle, Alok insisted on moving ahead. Other team members hesitated but didn’t push back strongly.
When the activity began (with the added twist that players could not see each other during their moves), Team 3 quickly descended into chaos. While other teams completed the challenge smoothly, Team 3 remained stuck – frustrated and flustered.
During the debrief, something powerful emerged.
A teammate quietly shared: “When you ignored my point completely, it felt like I wasn’t even there — like I didn’t exist.”
There was a long pause.
Alok, visibly moved, admitted: “I wasn’t collaborating. I was competing with my own team.”
The Deeper Lesson: Acknowledgment Before Action
In our corporate work environments, this scene plays out more often than we realize:
- Ideas dismissed without consideration.
- Voices talked over in meetings.
- Efforts unrecognized because “it’s their job anyway.”
The result?
People disengage not because of workload; but because of feeling invisible.
As leaders and managers, it’s not enough to push for collaboration. We must first create environments where acknowledgment is the norm.
In our experience, the best teams – the ones that are innovative, resilient, and cohesive – are built on a foundation of visible respect.
Related Reading: 4 Leadership Insights For A High Performance Team
“I See You”: A Simple, Profound Leadership Practice
In the movie Avatar, members of the Na’vi tribe greet each other with the words: “I see you.”
Not just a greeting. A profound acknowledgment of existence, value, and presence.
In corporate life, when we truly “see” someone:
- We acknowledge their ideas, even when they differ from ours.
- We recognize their efforts, even when outcomes are not perfect.
- We respect their presence, not just their performance.
Psychological safety, trust, and collaboration all start here.
The Link to High-Performance Teams: Lencioni’s Insight
Patrick Lencioni’s famous Five Dysfunctions of a Team model places trust as the bedrock of team effectiveness.
And trust, as we’ve seen time and again, isn’t built on grand strategy offsites or polished vision decks.
Trust is built – and broken – in small moments:
- Did someone acknowledge my contribution in a tough meeting?
- Was my perspective given a fair hearing, even if it wasn’t chosen?
- Did someone notice when I went the extra mile?
Acknowledgment fuels trust. Trust enables healthy conflict.Healthy conflict drives commitment, accountability, and results.
Related Reading: Book Review : The 5 Dysfunctions Of A Team
In Our Experience: How Leaders Can Foster a Culture of Acknowledgment
At FocusU, we’ve had the privilege of observing and working with many inspiring leaders. Here are some practices that stand out:
1. Listen to Understand, Not to Respond
Too often, leaders listen with the intent to reply – not to understand.
Simple shifts:
- Pause before responding.
- Reflect back what you heard: “If I understand you correctly, you’re suggesting…”
- Validate emotions even if you challenge ideas.
2. Name Effort, Not Just Outcomes
Recognition often gets tied to outcomes – project delivered, sales target achieved.
But growth happens in the messy middle.
Leaders who notice and appreciate effort, grit, and learning send a powerful message: “I see your journey, not just your destination.”
3. Create Platforms for Every Voice
In meetings, actively invite quieter team members to share.
- Rotate meeting facilitators.
- Use anonymous digital tools if needed (polls, feedback boards).
- Celebrate dissenting opinions respectfully.
When people see that their voice matters, engagement soars.
4. Model Vulnerability
Acknowledgment isn’t a one-way street.
When leaders share their own learnings, challenges, and uncertainties, they create room for others to show up authentically too.
A simple “I don’t know – what do you think?” can be more powerful than any formal recognition program.
Why This Matters for Learning and Development (L&D)
From a corporate L&D perspective, acknowledgment is crucial because:
- It drives learning readiness.
When people feel seen and valued, they are more open to learning. - It fosters psychological safety.
Essential for peer-to-peer learning, innovation, and risk-taking. - It accelerates leadership development.
Future leaders aren’t just task-completers — they are people-developers. And acknowledgment is their first tool.
In designing learning journeys, acknowledgment should be built into:
- Feedback mechanisms
- Workshop reflections
- Peer appreciation rituals
- Recognition moments during programs
Final Thoughts: In a Distracted World, Attention Is Acknowledgment
In a world of hurried emails, half-listened meetings, and multitasked conversations, simply paying full attention to another human being is a radical act.
When leaders choose to “see” – truly see – the people around them, magic happens:
- Teams stop surviving. They start thriving.
- Engagement shifts from compliance to commitment.
- Collaboration becomes effortless.
At FocusU, we believe that helping teams Be More starts with leaders choosing to See More.
The next time you’re in a meeting, a 1:1, or even passing someone in the hallway – pause.
Look. Acknowledge.
It could be the smallest act but it might just create the biggest ripple.
Because at the heart of great leadership is a simple truth: “I see you.”
