Recognition is not just trophies and awards nights. It is a daily practice that anyone can participate in, no matter your level or job title.

Here are ten ways you can step up to make a difference.

1. Name the behaviour you admire, not just the outcome
Instead of “great job”, say “the way you made sure everyone had a voice in that meeting really changed the tone”. When you name the inclusive behaviour, you make it easier for others to copy it.

2. Share credit generously and specifically
If someone helped you succeed, say so, in the room, in the email, in the showcase. “This project worked because Aisha pushed us to think about accessibility from the start.” Sharing credit lifts others, and chips away at the habit of only recognising the most visible or loudest person.

3. Nominate someone who would never nominate themselves
Many women, especially from culturally diverse backgrounds, hesitate to put themselves forward. Look around and ask “who here is doing great work and not being seen” Then submit their name for internal awards, external programs, or development opportunities.

4. Recognise the emotional and cultural labour
Notice the colleague who always welcomes new starters, explains the unwritten rules, holds space after difficult news, or translates between cultures. This is real work. Name it, thank them, and where you can, advocate for it to be counted in performance conversations.

5. Use your meetings as a recognition platform
Open a team meeting with a quick “shout out round” where people can acknowledge a colleague. 

Keep it short, keep it regular, keep it focused on inclusive behaviours, not just sales or output. Over time this shifts what “good” looks like.

6. Sponsor, do not just mentor
Mentoring is advice, sponsorship is action. Think about who you speak up for when opportunities arise. Offer someone a speaking slot, put their name forward for a project, or give a quiet recommendation to a decision maker. Then tell the person you did it, so they know they are not invisible.

7. Amplify under represented voices in the moment
If someone is talked over, or an idea is repeated and credited to someone else, step in. “I want to come back to Mei’s point, I think it was important.” This is a simple act of recognition that costs you nothing and changes the dynamic immediately.

8. Say thank you upwards, not just downwards
Leaders who are genuinely championing gender equity often face resistance. A short note that says “this policy made a real difference to me” or “thank you for backing flexible work, it kept me here” gives them fuel to keep going. Recognition should flow in every direction.

9. Turn private praise into public recognition
If you tell someone “you are amazing” in a corridor, consider copying that sentiment, with their permission, into a public channel, a team update or a performance review comment. Many people have drawers full of quiet compliments and very little visible recognition. Help move some of that into the light.

10. Model recognition as a daily habit
You do not need a budget, a title, or a program. You need attention, courage, and a decision. Decide that each week you will recognise at least one person for something they have done to make your workplace fairer, safer, or more inclusive. Over a year, that is more than fifty moments where someone feels seen.

Individual recognition is not a substitute for structural change, it is a catalyst for it. When we spotlight the people who make equity real, we change the stories that are told in our workplaces, and we encourage more of the behaviour we want to see.

You have more power than you think.
You can use it in the next meeting, the next email, the next performance conversation.

The question is not whether you can make a difference, it is who you will choose to recognise next.