Kylie Terrell has spent more than twelve years helping people feel valued, supported, and genuinely seen at work. As APAC Director of Consultancy at Reward Gateway, she has helped countless organisations rethink the way they recognise their people and build cultures where appreciation becomes a daily habit, not a once-a-year ceremony.
In this conversation, she reflects on what truly motivates people, how small moments of gratitude create big shifts in engagement, and the practices that keep her grounded while doing deeply human work.
You’ve spent over a decade helping people feel valued at work. What first drew you to employee engagement and recognition, and what keeps you inspired to do it all these years?
What drew me in, and what keeps me inspired after all these years, is the sheer power and simplicity of recognition. A genuine ‘thank you’ is arguably the most underutilised performance multiplier in any business, and frankly, in life in general. When leaders and peers consistently take the time to acknowledge effort and impact, it creates a powerful ripple effect.
When people feel seen, valued, and that they belong, they are naturally motivated to go the extra mile. For me, it’s about connecting that simple act of gratitude to tangible business outcomes. Recognition costs nothing, but it fuels connection and commitment, and it’s a great tool for retention.
Ultimately, I’m inspired by knowing that we’re making someone’s day a little bit brighter while building a more resilient and optimistic workplace.
You’ve worked with so many different organisations across Australia and New Zealand. What have you noticed really makes the difference when it comes to people feeling genuinely appreciated?
What truly makes a difference is that people don’t need grand, expensive gestures to feel more appreciated. They just need to know someone cares enough to genuinely and authentically notice them.
In every environment, whether it’s in construction or manufacturing, recognition looks a little bit different. It might be a supervisor taking a minute at the end of a shift to thank a team for smashing a target, or a foreman calling out someone for doing the right thing on site when no one is watching. It’s the manager who cares enough to know about someone’s family. These small moments matter.
When leaders build the habit of gratitude, of calling out effort and ongoing contribution in real time, they are showing up for their people, and their people will show up for them.
Technology has made it easier than ever to recognize in real time. How do you make sure digital tools don’t replace the personal, human side of saying thank you?
That’s a great question and one I hear pretty often. The key principle is that technology should amplify human moments, not replace them. The best recognition tools don’t take the ‘thank you’ out of someone’s hands, they make it easier to share, scale, and celebrate across a large workforce.
It’s not about automating appreciation, it’s about removing the friction that stops it from happening in the first place, ensuring recognition can be given more often and with intention. The heart of recognition will always be about human connection, the technology just gives it the spotlight it deserves by making the process instant and visible.
Reward Gateway’s mission is to make the world a better place. How do you see that come to life in your own team, and what does it look like for you personally each day?
For me, our mission is much more than a tagline, it’s how we show up for each other every day. In my team, it comes to life through the small, consistent things which build trust and belonging, like talking openly about ‘misses’, celebrating the wins loudly, and making space for real conversations.
Of course, I send recognition digitally. I even sent 3 e-cards this morning! I am always thinking about my team as individuals and what it would take to make their day and world a bit better. Ask anyone on the Reward Gateway team, and they’ll tell you that food is my love language. I’ll often bake a cake, bring in homemade sourdough, or cook lunch for the team. This serves two purposes. Practising gratitude is important to me as it allows me to fill my cup, but also it’s my role as a leader to break down barriers to connection. This is really important for creating intentional and collaborative working environments.
I am lucky to be surrounded by incredible leaders at Reward Gateway and other people in my team who are equally passionate about creating an environment where people can show up as their whole selves.
Recognition is often about celebrating wins, but not every day is easy. How can leaders show care and support when their teams are going through tougher times?
In tougher times, leadership is about being human. The first step is to listen, and listen deeply. Ask people how they’re feeling, and then just let them talk. Let people know it’s okay to not be okay, and give explicit permission not to show up if you can’t bring your best self on any given day.
Be vulnerable, share openly the times you’ve felt like things are too hard, how it made you feel and then how you overcame it. Acknowledge that some days are better than others, and tomorrow the sun will rise again for you to give it another go. I’ve worked at Reward Gateway for nearly 10 years, and in that time, I’ve become a parent and experienced loss and grief. We’ve been through a lot together! What I’ve learnt from that is when you’ve had to navigate something really difficult, you stop sweating on the small things and tend to dial into empathy a little bit more.
You spend so much time helping others build great workplace cultures. How do you look after your own energy and wellbeing so you can keep showing up with that same passion?
You can’t pour from an empty cup. Caring for your energy is non-negotiable. I practice what I call intentional oversharing. I talk to my teams about the good, the bad, and the ugly so they see me as human and understand, for instance, why I might not respond immediately after a certain time on a Friday afternoon when I do school pick up and have dedicated ‘Friday Family Time’.
I make time to exercise almost every day, running 100km a month, boxing to use excess energy, and cold ocean swimming. I’ve taken up pilates to slow my mind too, which has profoundly impacted my gratitude practice.
I obsess about celebrating small wins every day instead of waiting for the big milestones. This sense of gratitude keeps me grounded. On the drive home, belting out the tunes or listening to a podcast is my dedicated space to reset from the day, ensuring I’m ready to switch gears when I get home.
