Building Relationships Through Recognition

The act of recognizing desired behavior increases the repetition of that behavior and therefore productivity.

More time spent focusing on the job and less on unproductive behaviors.

Happy employees usually mean happy customers.

Innovation is higher, as is creativity

As managers, recognition lets colleagues know that we care about creating an environment where individuals feel appreciated for their contributions and accomplishments.

One may be your beliefs. I've heard some leaders in the past who say that employees are only motivated by money, so their paycheck is the only recognition they need.

You may be a harsh critic and have set high performance expectations, making recognition, difficult to give.

Maybe you're focused on weaknesses and strengths, like my parents when I was growing up. My parents focused more on the one C, versus the many Bs and As that I received.

Lack of time is an excuse I hear most often.

Our leaders or colleagues are concerned that individual recognition would be seen as favoritism, reducing team morale. It's not if you focus on every direct report. Again, little things that matter.

Another reason recognition is not easy is we don't do it. And the reason why we don't is that it does not come naturally, which is why a habit of recognition becomes so critical. And remember, it must be personalized. I've also heard, "I say thank you all the time." But are you giving recognition the right way?

Formal recognition is a bit more detailed - it has a nomination process, a selection process. It usually culminates in a ceremony where your employees are honored in front of their peers and organization. Some examples may include performance awards or safety awards.

Informal recognition is usually given when employees hit a milestone, or at the conclusion of a project. Some examples of informal recognition could be a simple thank you card. It could be a team lunch or copying a supervisor on a thank you to an employee. Maybe it's a spot award.

Day to day recognition is where you recognize a direct report, peer, colleague that has done something well. It could be that new hire who handled a very difficult call with a customer, or maybe an experienced colleague that got in front of the leadership for the first time giving a presentation. So, whether you are a brand-new colleague or seasoned professional, everyone likes to have their bucket filled by recognition.

Let's talk a little bit about in the moment. In the moment, doesn't take a lot of time. There are five simple steps to follow to make sure the recognition is thoughtful. Let me review the steps with you and give you an example. So, if I was facilitating a workshop and I had a participant in the workshop who's asking really great questions and other colleagues were learning from them, this may be something that I would say in the moment.

A good one is breakfast with the boss, so bring in a catered breakfast for your team and designate yourself the waiter, serving all your wonderful colleagues.

You could have a morphing trophy, where every week you recognize a different person. You put what they did on a Post-it note and attach it to the trophy. At the end of 52 weeks, think about what that trophy looks like. Retire the trophy then.

Colleague of the month – acknowledge colleagues in meetings, or maybe it's a virtual brag board, especially now.