On Appreciating Others

I think I’ve been watching too much animes or reading too much mangas lately. I recognized that in Japanese business culture, there is this phrase of お疲れ様でした (Otsukare-sama deshita) in which it’s described as one of “untranslatable Japanese word” that could have different meanings depending on the situation. It can mean “hello”, “well done”, “you must be tired”, “see you”, “good-bye”, or maybe there’s more. Although, on most mangas that I read, it’s translated to “thank you for your hard work”. I know that this is kind of a Japanese-specific culture kind of thing, but I think the act of regularly appreciating others goes a long way.

Now let me ask you something, when was the last time you said “good job” or “good work” to others?

Me too, I rarely say that to others. But, where I live in Indonesia, it’s pretty awkward to say that directly, “kerja bagus” in Indonesian translation. I think, the most common way of expressing your appreciation to others is through emoji. Either through 👏 (clapping hands emoji), or 🎉 (party pooper emoji), or basically anything that you think is the most appropriate.

Lately, I’ve been trying to express my appreciation to others at work more. I don’t want to do something as simple as just saying “thank you”, rather I would prefer to have it more personal. Something like tapping on their shoulders when they show their finished frontend web page, or buying them a Subway sandwich for afternoon snacks. But I guess, I need to say “good job” directly more often.

Well, this is a pretty short blog post in a while. I hope these actions can be done by more and more people. Never forget to appreciate others!