Stop Generic Praise: How to Use Intentional Recognition to Boost Team Engagement

Are you sick of handing out "Great job, team!" praise that lands with the impact of a spam email? You're not alone. Generic recognition is forgettable, vague, and can actually erode the trust you're working so hard to build. If you lead people—whether in the boardroom, the sanctuary, or your own seven-figure business—it’s time to move past transactional feedback and embrace a strategy that fuels ownership and loyalty.

In this power-packed episode, your host, Julie Thomas Wagner (Worship Pastor, Serial Entrepreneur, and 25-year Tech Leadership veteran), reintroduces the newly named Leadership, Clearly podcast and dives deep into Intentional Recognition—the "I" in our V.I.C.T.O.R.Y. Leadership Communication Series.

Julie shares the Leader's Secret to motivating high-performing, faith-aligned teams: recognition that is so specific, sincere, and personal, it becomes a Leadership Multiplier.

- The Problem with Generic Praise: Why vague recognition is not safe and why your team might be tuning you out (even if you mean well).

- The Intentional Recognition Protocol: Julie’s 5-step framework for making praise specific, timely, and personal—turning simple compliments into powerful confidence builders.

- The Legacy Layer: Learn how intentional language (Proverbs 18:21) moves recognition from a leadership skill to a legacy-building culture that reduces turnover and encourages healthy risk-taking.

- The Jesus Model: How Christ perfectly demonstrated Intentional Recognition by always seeing the individual and calling out strengths others overlooked.

- The Difference: How to ensure your affirmation is true recognition (telling the truth) and not uncomfortable flattery (avoiding accountability).

Your words as a leader shape the culture and build the legacy. If you're ready to install the full operating system for leading with both God's wisdom and a working strategy, this episode is your required reading.

Ready to go deeper? If you need hands-on help implementing these communication and team-building strategies, check out the Legacy Leadership Intensive—Julie’s transformational coaching experience designed for faith-driven women ready to lead with BOLD clarity.

If this episode resonated with you and you’re sensing a call to deeper leadership work in 2026, Julie invites you to join the waitlist for the Legacy Leadership Intensive—a high-touch, faith-grounded experience for Christian women leaders ready to build a legacy, not just a résumé.

👉 Join the waitlist here: https://bit.ly/legacyleadershipintensive

New episodes of Leadership, Clearly Podcast drop every Monday - so you can start your week grounded, focused, and ready to lead boldly.

If this episode encouraged you, please share it with another leader and leave a review. Your support helps this message reach more Christian women who are ready to lead with faith and clarity.

Visit https://juliewagner.co for more information!