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On Top of Real Recognition: Top 10 Ways to Kick Off Recognition in the New Year
December 29, 2008
By Roy Saunderson
With a New Year just around the corner, it's time so get ready to rev up your recognition giving. When you start the year off right with recognition, you'll end off right too. So try these time-tested practices and principles for making it your best recognition year ever.
1. Assess where you're at with recognition. What were the results of your recognition programs and practices from this past year? How are they perceived by employees? Use baseline metrics, and quantitative and qualitative indicators, to determine your strengths, weaknesses and the gaps that need attention.
2. Develop your very own recognition strategy. Write out the reason why you are doing recognition in the first place, and how you intend to practice and administer recognition effectively. Draft and circulate your recognition philosophy and purpose for input. When agreed upon, cascade it down so everyone can be on the same page.
3. Establish short- and long-term recognition goals. Whatever is good should be continued, and whatever is not so hot needs to be stopped or revamped. So set some measurable goals on how you can improve recognition over the next year.
4. Align recognition with the business strategy. Whether it's improving retention, raising customer satisfaction or getting higher employee engagement, recognition, rewards and incentives can be powerful tools to reinforce behavior and reward business results.
5. Connect recognition to your vision, mission and values. Your organizational culture, beliefs, attitudes and corporate personality should be strong enough to turn recognition into a way of life, not just another program. In turn, recognition can help reinforce the best behaviors aligned with your values.
6. Gain senior leader support and endorsement. Nothing makes recognition happen more than senior leaders supporting and exemplifying positive recognition actions. Recognition really starts at the top in getting other managers on board.
7. Reinforce recognition practices through communication. Managers and employees need to know how to be good recognizers. Show them where the resources of articles, tips and ideas are online. Provide Web-based and in-class tutorials on effective use of established recognition and reward programs.
8. Educate and demonstrate exemplary recognition. Educate people on the "why" of recognition and the "how" will flow much better. Give practical hands on training to help people overcome the myths and difficulties, and show them the right way to give people the recognition they deserve.
9. Expect recognition and hold people accountable. Unless someone senior to you sets clear expectations for giving recognition, nothing will start. Furthermore, once the standard is set, if no one follows up or gives you feedback on how you are doing, nothing will change or be maintained.
10. Keep it simple. Nothing is more meaningful than a sincere expression of thanks and appreciation. Make it your personal goal to be a praiseworthy observer each and every day by looking for people doing great work and becoming the best recognition giver of 2009!
INCENTIVE online columnist Roy Saunderson, author of Giving the Real Recognition Way is President of Recognition Management Institute (www.realrecognition.com) which consults with companies on improving employee motivation leading to increased productivity and profits. He can be reached at RoySaunderson@realrecognition.com.
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