I love this quote from Marcus Buckingham,
“Great managers don’t need to be reminded of the power of praise.”
I think he’s right.
In those organizations where recognition flourishes as a way of doing things, you will always find leaders who get it. They know the importance of recognition. They personally strive to practice giving effective and meaningful recognition. And they encourage everyone to be exemplary recognition givers. (more…)
Roy Saunderson is going to give you 7 Success Strategies for Your Recognition Programs during this Facebook Live presentation. Join us and learn some practical and strategic ideas to make your recognition programs a success.
Posted by Rideau, Inc. on Tuesday, March 27, 2018
This is my Facebook Live on the 7 Success Strategies for Your Recognition Programs.
On the show, I teach some practical and strategic ideas on how to make your recognition programs more successful. There are certainly more strategies you can apply but I think you will find these to be essential.
Roy Saunderson, Vistance Institute
Recognition practitioners responsible for managing recognition programs work diligently to incorporate all of RPI’s 7 Best Practice Standards into their strategy and recognition plans. But what is more challenging for you now is the day-to-day operations and implementation of recognition throughout the organization.
Too often we seek out other organizations to learn about their best practices. Unfortunately, their best practices started several years ago and there’s no guarantee you could apply them in your company today. What’s needed is an upgrade of your “best practices” to become tomorrow’s “next practices”. Come prepared with your written questions addressing your current needs under any of the 7 Best Practices Standards. Or simply bring along one recognition question or challenge you’re struggling with right now.
| Event: | From Best Practices to Next Practices |
|---|---|
| Sponsor: |
Recognition Professionals International 651-265-7859 |
| Venue: |
Loews Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN (615) 320-1700 |
| Location: | 2100 West End Avenue Nashville, Tennessee 37203 USA |
| Registration: | Click here to register. |
Theresa Harkins, Inspirus, LLC; Gail Rawlinson, Alberta Health Services; Barbara Ruddy, Department of Economic Securities; Roy Saunderson, Vistance Institute
Do you ever feel intimidated at work? Are you nervous to share your ideas and speak up in a meeting? Many factors can have a negative impact on the physical and mental health of employees. Having a psychologically safe workplace enables people to feel they can value one another and express recognition. Recognizing an employee for their contributions is one way to positively contribute to their well-being.
| Date: | April 30, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Time: | 01:45 p.m to 2:45 p.m. |
| Event: | What does Recognition have to do with Workplace Health and Safety? |
| Sponsor: |
Recognition Professionals International 651-265-7859 |
| Venue: |
Loews Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN (615) 320-1700 |
| Location: | 2100 West End Avenue Nashville, Tennessee 37203 USA |
| Registration: | Click here to register. |
Be a “recognition revolutionary” and share examples of employees who have benefited and changed from being regularly acknowledged. You have already taken the first step by setting the example yourself. Now you must recruit other fellow recognition champions. Help your teammates and colleagues make recognition a part of their everyday experience. Consistent, daily giving of recognition will make recognition an integral part of your organizational culture.
It was a busy day at a suburban branch of a retail bank and the customer service representatives (CSR’s) were kept constantly busy with serving long lines of needy customers.
Air conditioning didn’t seem to be working the best that day and it was getting kind of warm in the bank. The bank manager had already called head office to arrange for air conditioning maintenance people to come and fix things.
The CSRs did their best to smile, pause briefly between customers to calm themselves, and patiently serve each customer with their individual banking requests.
By mid-afternoon, something unusual happened.
The bank manager walked behind each of the half-dozen or so CSRs and placed a cold can of carbonated drink on the counter next to each employee as they served the next customer in line.
Some of the CSRs were able to look up and smile back at the manager and others said thanks if they could.
But it was several minutes later before each CSR realized how special their manager’s actions were.
She had not given every CSR the same carbonated beverage. No, she had made sure to know what each of their favorite drinks was. Armed with that insight she had purchased a single can of pop that each CSR liked best.
For those CSR’s this simple but special action spoke volumes to them and showed them their manager appreciated them and the work they were doing.
Think about what can you do to personalize and customize the tokens of appreciation you give to employees. (more…)
Many of us can get quite overwhelmed with having to recognize people. For some, it can seem almost fearful. Yet, as Steven Pressfield, in his book, The War of Art explains, “the more scared we are…the more sure we can be that we have to do it.” Which is why I examine closely the Top 10 Fears that hold us back from doing what we all must do…and that is giving others the recognition they deserve.
1. Fear of Rejection. What if you say the wrong things to someone? Maybe an expression of appreciation isn’t received well? No matter. None of the regular things you say on a daily basis are ever perfect soliloquies. Recognition is about others – so give it any way you can. Note that no one ever stops you from recognizing them.
2. Fear of Criticism. Never let any critic hold you back from the art and gift of recognizing others because this comes from inside of you. Let it out! Remember, wherever there are critics there are also encouragers in the wings. Don’t let others stop you from giving people what is rightfully theirs.
3. Fear of Incompetence. Too many people tell me that they don’t know how to give recognition to people, whether verbally or with the written word. The key is to realize recognition is about relationships and that it comes from the heart. Push this fear out of the way and sing people’s praises out loud.
4. Fear of Unprofessionalism. Saying thank you to people and communicating feelings to those who have made contributions is all about them. Recognition is not about professionalism. There are no standards or competency levels to be reached and maintained. You simply have to be yourself with others.
5. Fear of Expectation. There are no little angels from opposing camps on your shoulders telling you what to do or not do or how to share words of appreciation with those you work with. The only real expectation people have is to be respected and valued. Those values alone will let you speak the right words.
6. Fear of Perfectionism. Not one single employee has ever told me how perfect an acknowledgment they received was. The only condemnation heard, is when nothing is said at all. Nada. There is no “one way” to give praise or express appreciation. The perfect thing to actually do is to give freely.
7. Fear of Egocentricity. Oh yes, the fear of doing anything comes right from inside ourselves and limits us from the many pleasurable activities of life. Don’t get too caught up with yourself. Instead, think more about the person needing to be recognized. This is, after all, all about them and not you.
8. Fear of Others. But what will others think if I recognize one person and not the others? Honestly, I’ve heard this way too many times. Don’t ever let “others” both in reality or in your head, determine what you should say or do in any area of your life. Give recognition to one and all and have fun doing so.
9. Fear of Caring. Whoever said it is wrong to care about people at work? We can spend half, or more, of our waking hours at work. It is positive and needful to form caring relationships with others. Scrub this fear from your vocabulary. Instead, use it as a motivational force for caring gratitude.
10. Fear of Weakness. Talking about emotional, warm and fuzzy matters, can be seen by some (especially any macho stereotypic males) as a sign of weakness. The irony is, individuals who have mastered the art and practice of giving positive recognition the right way, are always viewed more positively by other people.
Previously published in Incentive Magazine.
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.
Watch out for how you react to people when they are thoughtful enough to express praise and recognition to you.
Their words or action are an acknowledgment of your positive actions, effort, or contribution you’ve made.
But too often recognition recipients unintentionally offend givers of recognition.
Watch what you say or do so that you don’t discourage people from giving you recognition again. (more…)
Having read and watched the media reports from the 90th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscars Awards, it reminded me that being nominated for an award is a pretty big deal.
You may know the Academy is an invitation-only membership of directors and actors. These two groups of 7,258 voting members are the ones who vote and decide upon the winners from their respective branches.
Being nominated by one’s peers means a lot to those who are nominated.
What can we learn from this annual Oscars award event about the importance of being nominated for an award? (more…)
A whole year has gone by and it’s March 1st again. I want to wish you a happy World Compliment Day.
Our friend, Hans Poortvliet, from the Netherlands, helped create this special day. He wanted to build awareness of the importance of complimenting people. That was 16 years ago when he started National Compliment Day. Now, the concept has spread so fast it has become an international event just a few years later.
A compliment, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is simply “a polite expression of praise or admiration.”
A compliment might also include a personal commendation, or even a formal act or demonstration of civility, respect, or regard for someone. (more…)