In one of my leadership positions, I implemented a recognition award for my team. Every quarter I accepted nominations for the winner, who would be selected for their efforts over the previous quarter.
There was nothing special about this process. You have probably seen similar programs at some point in your career. There was nothing special about the award itself either. In fact, there was no monetary consideration, and the award was a traveling trophy. If you were recognized, you were able to keep the trophy on your desk for the quarter, but then it was passed to the next recipient.
What made the award special was public recognition, and the letter which accompanied the trophy. The letter detailed the specifics of why the person was being recognized. It was written in a story format, and the story came from the heart of the people impacted. The stories had impact.
When I reflect on the success of that process, I can see the importance far beyond the award itself. Here are three main benefits we enjoyed.
1. Displayed Sincerity and Authenticity. The awards allowed the leadership team to model sincerity and authenticity to the organization. We researched and validated the activity being recognized to verify accurate representation.
2. Increased Awareness of Great Effort. Since we were not recognizing people just for doing a great job, but for specific actions, the team became more aware of opportunities for recognition. The staff began to learn how recognition within their own team can impact all parts of the organization.
3. Celebrated Shared Values. This might have been the greatest benefit. The entire organization began to develop an understanding of what we valued as a team. It created the culture we desired. It energized the entire workforce.
As I think of the impact of this one simple program, I can’t help but think that everyone must already be doing this. But I have heard from many of you, that it is not true. Many organizations, spend their time on problem solving, and fire-fighting, with little to no effort placed on recognition.
With such a large payoff, how can we ignore recognizing our people? What do you want to change in your organization?