How To Get Your Values to Drive Recognition

Values are a big deal when it comes to employee recognition.

After all, values are the way organizations, or the people that work there, do things. And when people do the right things the right way they deserve to be acknowledged for demonstrating those values.

Real recognition is about appreciating people for they are and recognizing them for what they do.

Catching people doing the right things can easily be done through offline recognition practices or online recognition programs.

Your values are key to getting recognition happening well.

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Really show you care with your recognition.

Have the most meaningful people present when you give a person any form of recognition. Of course, you don’t need to organize 
a formal banquet to create a memorable recognition occasion. Why not plan to have a few of the recipient’s closest friends there. Find out which fellow co-workers should be invited as well to help heighten the recognition experience. Take the extra time to make recognition special.

Top 10 Ways to Create Thanksgiving at Work

As far as work and Thanksgiving is concerned, everyone will be more excited to leave work to be with family and friends than be thankful for work. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be more grateful for the jobs and careers we have. Our challenge is knowing what each of us can do to create a more Thanksgiving attitude at work. This set of Top 10 should shed some light on this idea.

1. Create meaningful work opportunities. In an American Management Association (AMA)  survey they asked what people are thankful for at work and the highest ranked item is “the professional satisfaction it provides me.” Check in regularly with employees to learn what could make their work more energizing.

2. Encourage positive work relationships. Next on the AMA list was, understandably, one’s coworkers. Often we stop people from communicating and forming friendships at work. Even the Gallup Q12 measures having a best friend at work. Orchestrate opportunities to have fun, break bread, exercise, play and celebrate together.

3. Make sure each “Boss” is a good one. Never take this for granted because a great boss appreciates and values employees. A bad boss can kill them. Working for an uncivil, toxic boss increases the risk of a heart attack by 17% and increases the likelihood of a stroke by 33%. Stop bad boss behavior immediately.

4. Gratitude is even good for you. Well-deserved thanks and expressions of appreciation make an impact on people’s health. The Institute of Heart Math found Individuals who received appreciation and gratitude had greater harmony in their heart rhythms. Don’t think they are just doing their jobs – THANK THEM!

5. Cut out saying negative things to people – period. In high performing teams researchers found the ratio of positive to negative statements directed from manager to team members was 5.6 to 1.These managers gave 5 times more positive statements than negative. Watch your mouth and be more positive!

6. Develop relationships versus “engaging” employees. When we get romantically involved with someone we build a relationship first before popping the engagement question. Same thing at work – focus on the relationships between people. Look at building a person up and connecting with them.

7. Use emails and social media to be social. We are becoming a cryptic, impersonal society in how we communicate in any form of written text. Use the polite social graces of writing “please” and “Thank you so much! I am really grateful.” Not only will you make people feel good they will more likely help you.

8. When you have a good boss, thank them. Here’s an interesting thought from the John Templeton Foundation Study on Gratitude. They found 74% of people never or rarely express gratitude to their boss. Yet they want their boss to express gratitude to them. Start emulating the actions you want given to you.

9. Never give a gift or an award alone. No matter what tangible form of appreciation you might give someone, always add a card or note to share your feelings and thoughts for the person. Specifically acknowledge the employee for what they have done and share your heartfelt appreciation for their contributions.

10. Start things right with giving thanks. Begin each day with sending out an email of gratitude to someone who has made a difference to you. Put praise and acknowledgments at the beginning of each meeting agenda and have people share the great things happening. If you start right, you will end right.

Question: In what ways do you bring Thanksgiving into the workplace?

Roy is no longer writing new content for this site (he has retired!), but you can subscribe to Engage2Excel’s blog as Engage2Excel will be taking Roy’s place writing about similar topics on employee recognition and retention, leadership and strategy.

Implementation Is The Key To Success

Consultants are known for coming into an organization identifying the problems then facilitating great goals and action plans for strategic change and development.

This happened in the early stages of my career as a speech-language pathologist while working in a healthcare facility.

The consultant came in and did their assessment routine and determined our organizational strengths and weaknesses.

Next, this consultant led a strategy development day where leaders and key individuals were invited to participate. I was invited to be in that session as a fairly new employee who was always looking at big picture of things. (more…)

Recognition Tip #30: Keep a gratitude journal

People who daily write in journals are more apt to reflect on the blessings in their lives. You will also remember acts of kindness from others towards you. Such mindfulness learning will help you to see the special things in others’ lives too. Strive to be more grateful for the people around you.

Get Rid of the Distractions And Give Better Recognition

Have you ever been in a situation when you were talking with a colleague and he or she just kept looking at his or her smartphone? Kinda makes you feel disengaged and ignored, doesn’t it?

Now the reverse of the situation is whether you have ever done a similar action yourself when speaking with or recognizing an employee.

If you have done this, and I know I have done it several times in my lifetime, I am going to show you some ways to remove such guilt from your communication practices.

What I can promise you is by removing distractions around you that you will improve your employees’ perception of the recognition you give to them. (more…)

How To Get Employees Involved In Career Milestone Recognition

Think career milestone recognition and you associate it directly with the company.

Companies honor and celebrate employees for their great work and contributions. It is a time for leaders to stop and thank employees for their service.

Service awards, as they are often called, are traditionally seen as a top down program, usually from an employee’s immediate manager or supervisor.

And for many companies this is still the way milestone programs are run.

But there is a new trend building for getting all employees involved. (more…)

3 Ways To Be More Mindful with Recognition Giving

Mindfulness is the psychological process of focusing your attention to both internal and external experiences occurring at the same time. There is a lot going on when you recognize a person so being aware of everything surrounding such a moment can help maximize the recognition experience.

Mindful preparation for giving recognition requires asking good questions of yourself and maybe of others too.

Here are some quick ways for you to be more mindful about the recognition you give your employees. (more…)

Are You Helping Your Leaders to Give Recognition?

Senior leaders are not always the best recognizers or praisers of employees doing good work. They are where they are for many reasons and it is not often for recognition giving.

My question for you as a manager or owner of employee recognition is, what are you going to do to help your leaders do better with giving recognition?

Don’t sweat that last question.

I am going to offer you some simple ideas to help you help your leaders give better and more frequent recognition to employees. (more…)

Can I Help You Change Your Mind?

For many years when giving workshops on how to be more effective and authentic in giving employee recognition, I often use the words “Beliefs – Behaviors – Results” in a PowerPoint® slide or on flip charts to help participants understand the power and differences of recognition and rewards.

It was much easier to talk about how one can impact behaviors and results than it was beliefs. Beliefs, of course, seemed so much more personal and unchangeable. Yet how often did faulty beliefs, hang ups and barriers get in the way of noticing and appreciating people’s great work.

Can we really do anything to alter people’s beliefs in the learning environment? Can we change people’s minds? (more…)