In order to get recognition right where you work you have to start off right with recognizing people.
The key to giving great recognition is in starting.
As Julie Andrews, in her role as Maria, sang to the Von Trapp children in the Sound of Music movie:
“Let’s start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with A-B-C
When you sing you begin with do-re-mi.”
Consider the seven recognition starters below in your recognition responsibilities.
1. Start of a Day: Each day when you wake up state some positive affirmation out loud to express your gratitude and thanks for life and the day ahead. The ancient Biblical psalmist wrote, “This is the day the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Starting your day off in a grateful manner will allow you to see the positive actions and attributes of others around you.
2. Start of a Job: When you are interviewing a job candidate do you first thank them for considering working at your company before asking questions? I have shared before when you are onboarding new employees to give each employee a Thank You card and a pen. Set the expectation for them to thank someone who made their welcome to the company a meaningful experience.
3. Start of a Shift: MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, conducts 10 to 15 minute pre-shift meetings with all 9,000 + employees, including the president and their leadership team. They highlight their core service standards and values and they always make sure they recognize employees who demonstrate these important values. Imagine starting your shift, whatever the time schedule, with favorable feelings about the great things people do.
4. Start of a Meeting: BCIT president in British Columbia, Canada, went out on a limb at one management meeting. He chose to highlight the positive accomplishments of one of the managers in the room before the meeting agenda began. He then invited any other managers to acknowledge a peer in the room. He later invited all of the managers to go back to their departments and do this same practice in their own staff meetings.
5. Start of an Email: Stop getting right to the point of why you are emailing someone. Why not thank, praise or acknowledge the recipient, where appropriate, for their contributions first. Tell them how much you personally appreciate them – and tell them why. We get too caught up with the business at hand and can sometimes forget the person.
6. Start of a Project: Create an encouraging environment for any new project by thanking everyone on the team for their willingness in being a part of the innovative thinking needed to be successful. Remember to acknowledge people for the little things they do along the way and not to just wait until the end of project completion before saying anything.
7. Start of a Phone Call: Thank the person for making time in their busy schedule to take your call. Acknowledge the person for any positive emotions you hear in their tone of voice when speaking with them. Express appreciation for their reliability and other outstanding qualities they display.
It is a fascinating truth that when you start off right you end off right too.
Beginning with recognition in the many opportunities available to you will propel you to keep recognition going all day long.
It is really fun to start with recognition. It creates an amazing positive energy. It is an inertia breaker.
Simply start!
Question: What are some ways you start off recognition giving at work?
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.
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