Habit Stack Your Recognition
Recognition intentions fail because they float in your calendar, unanchored. Attach them to something you already do, and they become automatic.
You know you should recognize your team more. You even mean to. But weeks pass, and it doesn't happen.
The problem isn't motivation. It's design. Intentions without triggers stay intentions forever.
BJ Fogg's research on behavior design reveals a fix: habit stacking. Take a behavior you want to build and attach it to a behavior you already have. The existing habit becomes the trigger for the new one.
For recognition, this looks like: "After I pour my first coffee, I send one specific thank-you message." The coffee isn't a reward. It's a cue. You're not adding a task to your day. You're attaching two minutes to a moment that already exists.
The hack: Pick your anchor (first coffee, opening your laptop, ending your morning standup). Immediately after, send one recognition message. Specific, not generic. Name what the person did and why it mattered. Two minutes, max.
Do it for two weeks. The anchor will start triggering the behavior automatically.
