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We all crave acknowledgement for our hard work and dedication. Without recognition, people feel that their work is going unnoticed. This makes them feel undervalued and unappreciated. In turn, they may become apathetic about their work moving forward. This cycle can create an unproductive work environment.

The need for respect is at the core of every person. In a survey conducted by my company, K HR Solutions, respondents indicated that more than money, more than tangible gifts and more than awards, people simply want their boss to approach them and let them know that they have done a good job. There is some confusion, however, about the best ways to recognize good work among your employees.

Happy New Year. It is 2012 and business leaders continue to face a more diverse, multigenerational workforce. This trend will continue for many more years so it is important to embrace these demographic changes and recognize the value they bring.

Generations really do not think the same way from one to the next. Each generation has a different set of expectations and preferences with regards to how they communicate, how they want to be managed, what they are looking for in their job and how they approach their work.

By now you have probably read something about the different generations. Perhaps you even attended a seminar or workshop. Fortunately, you can learn to leverage the strengths of each generation in your company to excel in business and exceed expectations.

Simply put, today's leaders will need to adapt to the multi-generational workforce. Rather than concentrating on problem areas, focusing on the unique strengths between the generations will allow you to connect with employees in an entirely new and productive way. As always, leaders need to respect all employees, providing everyone with equal opportunities and recognize both ability and accomplishment. Yet, leaders should be treating the generations differently. One of the primary tasks as a leader is to inspire and motivate the people who work for them. Their approach, communication style and personal interactions should flex depending on whom they are addressing.

Whether you are the CEO, an executive, a manager or a supervisor, you can utilize simple strategies to lead your multigenerational workforce. Here are the six strategies that I provide in my book GENerate Performance:  Unleashing the Power of a Multigenerational Workforce.

Strategy #1: Celebrate Differences
Strategy #2: Invest Time
Strategy #3: Leverage Strengths
Strategy #4: Show Respect
Strategy #5: Pay Attention
Strategy #6: Embrace Change

These strategies are simple yet critical and often times overlooked. Try using them on a consistent basis and you will be amazed at the impact you can have on others.

As strong leaders in the workplace you need to be able to develop solid relationships with your team. Relationships breed trust and trust is a leaders stock in trade.You need to develop trust so your team will follow your lead.

In today's workplace we rely heavily on technology for communication.Technology plays an important role but it is not always the most efficient or effective way to communicate. Email correspondence is appropriate with employees for fast and easy conversation but it is not going build trust with your team. A poorly worded or wrongly interpreted email can cause a lot of wasted time and energy. The way to build real trust is through face-to-face conversation. Let me explain a bit further.

Email gives abridged information.  We simply don't write the way we speak.In emails we shorten the information and highlight the important points, leaving out supporting data, explanations, examples and clarifications.The person receiving the information does not receive all the information he or she would have had from a verbal conversation.

Furthermore, verbal dialogue is stimulating because it is quick, intense and two-sided, feeding on the interactions between the parties involved.With email you cannot see the other person's facial expression or body language to know how they are responding to your communication. To lead effectively, you need to not only pay attention to what your employee is saying but also to what they are not saying.

Have an employee who works remotely? Try to have regular dialogue by phone and schedule time to meet face-to-face when possible. Use video conferencing or Skype as a method of communicating with remote employees. Take the time to build and maintain their trust.

If you have important information to convey, go see the person, video-conference or at the very least, pick up the phone. Be responsible to provide your team with all the information they need to do their jobs well. The bottom line is not to use email as an escape, but as a tool.Otherwise, take the time and effort necessary for face-to-face communication.

The generations in today’s workplace are different and those differences can be a source of great opportunity. Leverage your team’s strengths by doing a careful examination of your team. To do so, use the following four steps:

Observe
Spend time personally observing your staff. Find out which types of projects your employees want to work. Discover where they are applying extra effort. Listen to the issues or topics they bring up. By observing them you may just discover their power and their passion.

Ask
Don’t try to guess a person’s strengths. Ask them what they perceive their own strengths to be and find out if they think those strengths are being fully utilized. In most circumstances, individuals know their own strengths better than anyone else.

Focus
Having discovered what each person’s strengths are, it is also vital to then focus on leveraging those strengths. Too often, managers focus on what they think employees should be doing better. You will never turn weaknesses into strengths so focusing on the strengths will inspire and motivate.

Identify
Find the projects, opportunities and assignments which utilize each person’s key strengths. Try to funnel work to your team based on the tasks which will leverage their passion and their power.

With these steps in mind, ask yourself if you know each of your employees’ strengths and how you can leverage the generational strengths on your team. Think about what opportunities you can create for your employees to exercise their power and their passion. If you do so, your team will be energized with excitement and engagement at every level. Innovation will flourish. Team dynamics will improve and productivity will soar.

Do you want to know the one common effect of all company problems? Problems cost companies a most valuable commodity – time. When there is a misunderstanding, miscommunication or employee conflict, you lose time sorting out the issues. When a good employee leaves the company, you lose time hiring a new person and bringing them up to speed. When motivation and productivity slacks, you lose time trying to get your employees back on track.

Getting to know your employees on a personal level can prevent company problems from arising in the first place, saving you that valuable commodity of time.
So, how can you get some time back? Here are a few suggestions:

• Block out one hour each week to let your staff know that you are available to them. Use that hour to get in touch with your team, to talk to them on a personal level.

• Use team huddles. Gather your team for a set amount of time each week to share what projects they are working on and how the team can help each other achieve their goals.

• Solicit feedback from your team on a regular basis. Ask open-ended questions. Invite their inquiries and participation.

• Perform post-mortems on projects, especially those which experienced problems. Ask participants for their thoughts on how it went and develop a plan to avoid duplicating mistakes in the future.

Give these suggestions a try and you will experience more team unity and greater levels of engagement. You have to get to know your people. So, spend the time to save the time.

To put it simply, today’s leaders need to motivate their employees and change their styles to meet the needs of those employees. It may be a tall order, but it is vital to the success of the organization.

There is no shortcut to getting to know your employees and some leaders may find this uncomfortable. After all, it was not that long ago when managers were trained to keep their employees at arm’s length.

In today’s workplace, however, employees expect their managers to know about them on a personal level, to understand what motivates them at work. It is about relationship building.

You can begin by asking yourself how well you know your employees. Rate your knowledge of each person on a scale of one to five with one as not having a clue how the employee thinks and five being a clear understanding of what makes that person tick. Once you have completed that step, ask yourself what practical steps you can take to get to know the people who you rated on the lower end of the scale.

Strong leaders not only get to know their employees but they also do something about it. As a leader, you play the prime role in letting your employees know that they are cared for and supported. You are the person who is most responsible for creating a culture of engagement. Yes, your employees are responsible for their actions but they will take clues from you as a leader.

Each generation deals with authority quite differently. As you get to know the people in your office better, on a more personal level and become comfortable flexing your style, you will also be able to make excellent judgment calls on how to treat people whom you don’t know on the basis of that person’s generation.

So, get to know your employees, grasp how they think and work and act on their preferences. Soon you will notice a more unified, efficient and motivated team emerging.

It can be easy to deny that there are differences in the workplace, to fall back on the old, “Everyone is exactly the same” philosophy. While that thought may provide some comfort, it is not the truth.

Leaders should begin by accepting the differences among their employees. Understanding those differences is equally important. Once you understand and accept differences, you can begin to celebrate them. By understanding, you will see how the generations support and reinforce one another. You will also discover how to utilize your generational resources to optimize your business.

Consider, for a moment, the people who you interact with on a daily basis, whether they are: your superiors, your peers, your direct reports or your customers. What generations are they from? Have you fallen into the trap of stereotyping them by their generation? What problems in your company, department or team might be the direct result of generational differences or stereotypes? What could you do instead to celebrate the differences among those who you interact with on a daily basis?

The role of a leader is to help employees grow, develop and succeed. Every person, regardless of his or her generation, wants to do a good job and has good intentions. Deep down, each person wants to know that their opinions are valued. They want proof that a leader is looking out for their best interests and they want to be rewarded for their efforts.

With a good understanding and appreciation of the generations in the workplace, the differences can be a huge plus for business.