Yep. It’s a week away.
We deem the first Friday in the magnificent month of March each year as Employee Appreciation Day.
Those with a cynical point of view believe organizational leaders only do something “cool” for employees on this day to serve their own needs.
That’s why people have asked whether organizations should still celebrate Employee Appreciation Day?
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Many of you have heard of my three factors for giving recognition: Values, Skills, and Awareness.
If you put these three factors into a Venn diagram of three overlapping circles, you see some interesting insights that help you understand what’s going on in your organization.
I will guide you through what each of these factors means and the different outcomes that happen when you only have certain combinations of each of these factors. Then I will share some ideas on how you can strengthen each of these factors to make giving recognition a natural reaction.
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I have this great quote on my desk from Jason Goldberg, the American film and television producer, that says, “Find your one thing and do that one thing better than anyone else.”
This has been my goal with employee recognition in trying to understand meaningful and effective recognition practices and how to make recognition programs amazing.
So, how are you going to improve your recognition better than anyone else?
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Recognition does not come naturally to everyone.
Leaders at the top of your organization should show the leadership competency skills that they expect from their direct reports. Leaders should help others to lead.
But that isn’t always the case.
Your goal for each organizational leader is to get them to inspire and value the contributions of one additional person every day.
How do you teach your leaders to be amazing recognizers of your staff?
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Here are some essential basics, and possibly reminders for some of us, on how to recognize the wonderful people you work with on a daily basis.
There’s no rocket science behind these attitudes and behaviors. They are just time worn and proven ways to make your recognition come across in a more meaningful and memorable manner.
Put them into practice daily and you’ll be giving real recognition the right way wherever you work.
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Yep. It’s that time again,
Some organizations will go all out. They’ll have their senior leaders serve up a pancake and sausage breakfast or other preferred food items. Perhaps the cafeteria has free items to offer employees that day which are paid for by the company. Others will encourage managers and supervisors to be vigilant in taking time out for coffee, doughnuts, and treats. Or perhaps everyone chips in to a potluck to share or brings a side dish for a company/department barbecue.
The first Friday of March is upon us. This Friday is considered one of those nationally declared calendar event days called National Employee Appreciation Day. It is not a day off work but one to remember the importance of appreciating employees and recognizing them for what they do.
What will you do in your organization for National Employee Appreciation Day?
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I am drawing on the principles from Bob Rosen and Emma-Kate Swann’s book Conscious: The Power of Awareness in Business and Life. The opening premise of their book is that being unaware is a big liability.
They highlight some of the observed behaviors that are caused by a lack of conscious awareness. Think about the following actions and see if you’ve experienced any of them too.
Research from Tasha Eurich, an organizational psychologist, indicates that only 10 to 15 percent of us are ever truly self-aware of what we do and our abilities.
Why aren’t we changing with giving people the recognition they deserve? From my observation, a lack of awareness of the importance and value that employee recognition has on people’s lives is a big reason why it doesn’t happen frequently enough. (more…)
Not everyone is born a naturally gifted recognizer of people. Which means you’re guaranteed to have some leaders who aren’t great at giving recognition either.
You may be called upon to help these leaders. Or you may take on a personal interest in helping them to recognize staff better and make a positive difference.
One of your goals will be how to get your leaders actively using your recognition programs. But before that can happen, they need to be actively doing essential recognition practices on a regular basis. (more…)
When was the last time you saw the word “gratitude” in your company’s leadership development curriculum?
I know. I haven’t seen it in any either.
But having a leader who can lead with a grateful heart would be a phenomenal leadership trait for rallying recognition around.
Leadership consultants Kevin and Jackie Freiberg say, “Gratitude is a sign of wisdom and maturity, a hallmark of confident humility.”
Too often we are trying to develop leadership skills and forget about the underlying leadership traits that intrinsically drive a person to be a leader no matter what their role or whether they even have a title within the organization.
Let’s explore what it really takes to be a leader who has a grateful heart. (more…)
For over 30 years now research studies continue to show one of the highest reasons for leaving a place of employment is a lack of recognition for workplace contributions.
You can learn to solve the challenges in your organization’s approach to giving people effective recognition, by looking at The 3 Essential Factors for Recognition.
Understanding these factors will provide you with insights as to where your own organization is presently at in appreciating the work and worth of your employees and what you need to do next.
What are these factors? (more…)