A Great Senior Leader Can Make All the Difference to Employee Recognition

With my speaking, training, and consulting with organizational leaders and managers in 13 countries, I have seen exactly what it takes to have success with any employee recognition initiatives.

I often speak of the need for alignment, consistency with recognition, the quality of recognition, and the level of impact recognition has on people and performance. Yet, one important element that must be present is having a senior leader who will move mountains for you and advocate for the cause of recognition.

How do they make a difference? Let’s count a few of the ways.

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Can You Ever Give A Person Too Much Recognition?

During a webinar I conducted a couple of weeks ago, an attendee asked me a question during the Q&A section. I have heard the question asked many times before and you might have heard it yourself.

“Can you ever give someone too much recognition?” 

And because they have asked me this question many times over the years, I could give this individual a quick response. Now, I will share this with you, too.

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3 Reasons Why You Need a Clear Recognition Strategy

It’s mind-blowing to see the difference recognition practices and programs undergo in organizations where a written recognition strategy and plan exists, versus those organizations that don’t have one.

I hope to encourage you to create a written recognition strategy and plan if you don’t already have one. And, if you have one already, to make sure you have an action plan for implementing it.

Here are my three reasons you need a recognition strategy. There are plenty more, but I hope these will encourage you. 

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Remember That Programs Are Just A Tool To Help People Practice Recognition

I always remind clients, and those who manage recognition programs, that these online recognition programs can only do so much. Personally, they are responsible for getting these great tools into the hands of leaders and employees and to encourage people to use them.

Recognition programs are only a tool to help people practice recognition giving. They should never replace the one-on-one, face-to-face expressions of acknowledgement. 

Check out some of the recognition programs in your organization. How do they help everyone practice amazing recognition?

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Why Do Employees Forget To Redeem Their Reward Points?

A challenging concern that recognition program owners often have is when employees do not redeem their reward points that they have received.

This situation leaves the unresolved concern for organizations having a liability for these points until employees redeem their points and are paid for. 

One question that is often asked is how come employees haven’t redeemed their points yet? Have they forgotten what they have? Do they know how to redeem them?

I will share some observations with you and let’s see if together we can address the issues. 

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Implementation Is The Most Valuable Part of A Recognition Strategy

Consultants come, and consultants go. Some are better than others. 

I recall starting my first job at a newly opened hospital as a Speech-Language Pathologist. Towards the end of that year, the leadership team hired a consultant to help them set direction and create a strategy for this new facility.

The consultant roamed around and interviewed leaders and managers and a sampling of employees.

Leaders scheduled a full-day meeting to brainstorm solutions. They invited many to be involved. We generated oodles of flip charts in response to questions posed by the consultant. Everyone vetted this content, and we finally came up with a semblance of a plan.

But that’s where things sat.

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How To Overcome Typical Barriers to Recognition Programs

It seems there are common problems that crop up when integrating employee recognition programs into an organization.

These problems create barriers to the success of the goals the organization hopes to achieve through strategically using recognition programs. Fortunately, the troubles recognition programs can sometimes present with are easily treated and resolved. 

Look at the following scenarios and examine how you would tackle each one.

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The Positive Influence on Recognition of an Amazing Senior Leader

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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