Tag Archives: Leaders

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Always Say Thank You To the People Who Got You Where You Are

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There are people in our lives, both past and present, who influence us for good and help us grow and develop.

You might never have taken the path that life offered you without their guidance, inspiration, and support.

Now, the only question remaining is whether you said thanks to any of these individuals for what they did for you.

I won’t pretend I have thanked everyone who has made a difference in my life, especially from the past. But I certainly work on thanking everyone today who has affected me. 

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The Positive Influence on Recognition of an Amazing Senior Leader

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It doesn’t happen very often. But every once in a while, you find an exceptional leader who changes the course of employee recognition in an organization.

Their example and positive actions influence and affect recognition practices by those around them and the usage of recognition programs by everyone. This influence is powerful and important in changing the way recognition plays out in an organization.

Here are some specific examples and some observations from others. 

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Teach Me How To Follow an Exemplary Recognition Mentor

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You’ve often seen them in action. Perhaps in a meeting you’ve taken part in or seeing them on stage at a celebratory award event. It might simply have been a pass by in the hallway. Or maybe you received a thank you note from them. Then there’s the masterful way they acknowledge team members in a virtual meeting. Recognition is alive and going well with this leader. 

Have you ever thought about asking this individual for their help with giving better recognition? They might mentor you. But how do you go about seeking a mentor? Follow these suggestions for acquiring a mentor and start learning to give more meaningful recognition to people. 

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How Well Are You Aligned With Your Leaders About Recognition?

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If there is one major thing that will help propel recognition forward, it’s having your senior leaders aligned with your recognition strategy.

As a manager and leader of recognition in your organization, your role is to help get your executive sponsor to agree to your recognition strategy and plans, and then assist you with how best to execute it.

These are some thoughts and practical steps you can take to get your recognition champion aligned on recognition. 

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Employees Want to See and Have The Presence of Their Leaders

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Many of us have worked solely from home during the pandemic. Organizational leaders are now working hard to get people back to the office and plant floors. And some organizations are trialling a hybrid approach of working so many days at work and the balance from home.

However, in all this array of work arrangements, one thing has emerged that was not expected. Employees missed seeing their senior and executive leaders. Nearly 30% of employees during recent focus groups at a healthcare organization suggested leadership presence as one way they could improve employee recognition. Sometimes, the absence of senior leaders has taken a negative toll.

What are you doing to address leaders who appear to be missing in action?

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When Was the Last Time You Wrote Your Boss a Thank You Note?

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It is important to remember that recognition is not just a top-down phenomenon. 

Recognition is everyone’s responsibility. Which makes it a practice that is multi-directional. So much so that recognition needs to go up, sideways and down, and around to everyone. 

And, yes, recognition, praise, and thanks should go to your immediate supervisor or manager. 

We can demand that others should recognize employees, but rarely do we educate and teach staff to remember to acknowledge and thank their own bosses. 

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Why It Is Okay To Have Manager Approvals for Rewards

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You and I know that recognition and reward programs have to be designed with the right business rules to make their use fair and equitable.

This is especially the case where performance-based recognition and reward programs exist. Such programs have their own rules for who is eligible to give and receive rewards. 

Reward programs where peers nominate someone to receive a reward may even require that a manager approve of whether the desired recipient should receive the reward. 

And yet there are some organizations who say they don’t want a manager’s approval at all. This takes too much time to approve a reward nomination. How will it look to employees? 

However, I am here to tell you it is okay to have managers approve reward nominations. 

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Why Your Leaders Must Lead Out With Recognition

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Not every organization has a leader or a leadership team that drives recognition initiatives.

Always aim for leader commitment and support for your recognition strategy and programs. It is essential to get their personal and emotional commitment and not just their buy in. The concept of “buy in” is so organizational driven, detached, financial focused, and transactional. 

I will explain the seriousness behind getting your leaders to lead recognition in your organization. 

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How Leaders Can Shine By Thanking Their Employees Better

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Recently, my wife and I conducted a ten-week emotional resilience course for some members in our church congregation. 

One of the weekly commitments that each of us worked on was keeping a daily gratitude journal. All we had to do was reflect on our day and write one or more things that we were thankful for on that day.

It certainly helped put a smile on our face at the end of each day. This was something totally in our control and cost nothing to put in place. 

Imagine what leaders in your organization could do for employees if they thanked them better for everything they do. Here are some tips you can pass along to them. 

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How Not To Fumble the Leadership Ball with Recognition

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By attending a few of my one grandson’s North American football games, I have witnessed the occasional fumbling of the ball by some overly enthusiastic youth.

This reminds me of the clumsily carried out attempts at giving recognition by organizational leaders. You may have seen some of these awkward recognition plays that never touched down.

Look at how you can best help leaders not to fumble recognition practically or strategically.

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