Discover Your Language of Appreciation
Communicate appreciation in ways that are deeply meaningful to the person receiving it, while discovering the specific actions that uniquely encourage you and your team.
-
480,000+
Professionals have completed the MBA Inventory®
-
15 Minutes
Fast, focused, and easy to complete
-
2 Versions
Basic or Expanded
Appreciation, the way each person values it
Words of Affirmation
“You caught the error before it shipped. That saved the whole launch.”
Acts of Service
“I took the late shift so you could make the recital. Go.”
Quality Time
“Coffee’s on me Thursday. No agenda, just want to hear how you’re doing.”
A Tool for Building Better Relationships at Work
The Motivating By Appreciation (MBA) Inventory® reveals how each individual prefers to receive appreciation at work, providing personalized insights and practical action steps that strengthen workplace relationships.
- Understand how employees feel most valued
- Personalize how you show appreciation
- Strengthen workplace relationships.
- Improve engagement and retention
Appreciation that works for organizations of every kind
Not Everyone Feels Valued the Same Way.
People receive appreciation through different languages. Recognition that matches a person’s language lands. Recognition that doesn’t often registers as noise. Pick one to see how it sounds in practice.
Words of Affirmation
Spoken or written words that affirm a person’s value and the quality of their work. Specific beats general every time. Name the action, the impact, and why it mattered.
“Your patience on that support call turned a frustrated customer into a fan. That’s hard to do.”
A specific, sincere note lands far harder than a blanket “good job, team.”
Quality Time
Focused attention, not just proximity. Phone down, notifications off, the person in front of you getting all of you for a set stretch of time.
"Got twenty minutes this week? No agenda. I want to hear how the launch actually went for you."
Time in the same room is not the same as time with someone. This person can tell the difference immediately.
Acts of Service
Pitching in to lighten a real load. Ask first, help on their terms, and finish what you start.
"You're buried in the Q3 numbers. Want me to take the vendor calls off your plate this week?"
Help that shows up uninvited can land as a critique of how they were handling it. The asking is part of the appreciation.
Tangible Gifts
A small gift that proves you were paying attention. Thoughtfulness is the currency here, not cost.
"Saw this and thought of your Saturday hikes. Enjoy the weekend. You earned it."
A generic gift card says you remembered the occasion. A specific gift says you remembered the person.
Appropriate Touch
Appropriate, spontaneous celebration in the moment. A high five after a win, a fist bump, a handshake that actually means something.
"That was all you." [A handshake that lasts a beat longer than usual.]
This one always follows the other person's comfort and your workplace norms. Read the room, and when you are not sure, do not guess.
Grounded in Decades of Workplace Research
The Motivating By Appreciation (MBA) Inventory® reveals how each individual prefers to receive appreciation at work, providing personalized insights and practical action steps that strengthen workplace relationships.
Teams that Made Appreciation a Habit.
