Even the most senior people need to feel seen.

Several people I've worked with over the years have navigated relentless leadership change at the top. Multiple transitions at Board, CEO and exec level, each one requiring them to adapt and absorb more while others came and went.

They were exhausted. Despondent. Seriously considering leaving a place that they loved.

Not because the work was too much in itself. Because nobody had stopped to say: 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭.

They won't tell you. But that doesn't mean they don't need it.

Seniority doesn't make you immune to the need for recognition. If anything, the absence of it can wear you down over time.

The assumption is that experienced executives are resilient enough not to need it. But that assumption costs organisations some of their best, most reliable people, who leave a hole that's hard, expensive and disruptive to replace.

When someone consistently goes above and beyond as a matter of course, it can become what's expected and unwittingly taken for granted.

A moment of genuine acknowledgement and appreciation can make a real difference. Something like: "𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰." Or, "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦?"

It's quick and it might just retain one of your best, so there's nothing to lose when the cost of not saying anything is so much higher.