A Sign of Being Human

The need for appreciation isn't a sign of weakness, but rather it is a sign of being human.

How can you better validate and appreciate the people in your life? I challenged my audience at Duke University to consider this question, and then I took it one step further saying, "Identify someone that you don't think would actually want the recognition and tell them specifically (and sincerely) what you appreciate about them." One month later, I followed-up with the audience members to find out what they had done.

An executive raised her hand to tell me that she had reluctantly recognized a long-time employee. "He was always doing great work, and yet I had never said anything in the past because I didn't think he would want to hear it," she said. "However, after your challenge I decided to take a chance," pausing for a moment, she then said, "After recognizing him for his amazing work over so many years he came into my office and said that in NINETEEN years of working for the organization he had never had anyone acknowledge his work." She humbly concluded saying, "He told me thank you for noticing and then he walked out . . . I had no idea."

The simplicity, the influence, and the power of genuine appreciation should not be taken for granted. Please consider the benefits of communicating in a positive way that builds trust, creates hope, and inspires confidence. How can you better validate and appreciate the people in your life?

The need for appreciation is not a sign of weakness . . . it is a sign of being human.

The Power of Milestones: Cadence, Receptivity, & Audience Impact

Over the past few months, I've heard one comment pop up over and over again from people all around North America:

"I'm not sure what we are getting for the money we spend on service awards."

Before you throw them out, let me share three reasons why celebrating milestones (including your service awards) can be one of the best opportunities you have to declare your company values and motivate employees. One disclaimer: Like most things, in order to be meaningful, recognition needs to be done well (something I'll discuss in a later post). Unfortunately, service awards have taken a hard hit in recent years because people forget how to make them meaningful to recipients. Hopefully, these three things can get you back on track:

1. Cadence. Milestones trigger reasons to celebrate. Unlike performance awards that may only touch a small percentage of employees at uneven intervals, service awards acknowledge every human being in the organization for the contribution they have made over the years. This timely, and regular, reminder to celebrate with the team member who has a five-year anniversary coming up is a great way for managers to reconnect with the people they work with. The cadence of a milestone helps to remind us that while the daily work demands can consume us, we need to stop every once in a while to celebrate our people.
2. Receptivity. Milestones are objective. They are transparent and they get rid of the "dark side" of recognition. Performance awards on the other hand are subject to perceptions of fairness -- not a show stopper, but it is something to be aware of nonetheless. The problem is when you rely entirely on performance awards to recognize employees three things will likely occur: a) some achievements will be overlooked; b) people will question the validity of the award; and c) managers will begin recognizing people privately. Milestone awards are much different. People are more open and willing to listen during a service anniversary celebration. Isn't this your primary objective in the first place? To get an opportunity to communicate with all of your employees when they are more receptive to the message? A receptive audience is more likely to hear what you have to say and you are able to communicate it in a positive way.
3. Audience. Milestones are big events that usually involve lots of people. A well prepared celebration doesn't require a lot of time or money, but you should think about it in advance. What would I like to communicate to this individual today? How has their contribution made us a better company? Is there anything I want to emphasize so that others will hopefully get the point as well? Remember, your message isn't just for the award recipient. So, what you say to the individual should be relevant to those listening as well. Ask a few of the employee's colleagues to participate in advance, and remind them to focus their comments on how the person's contributions have made the company better. Afterwards, invite the manager to say a few words linking the behaviors of the individual with the corporate values. The result: A message given to the whole audience, which celebrates the individual and lifts everyone.

Remember, recognition is about communicating the positive things we do at work (and we need at least 3 -5 positives for every negative). Done properly, recognition builds trust, it lifts people up, and it prepares them for the multiple tasks that lie ahead. Why would you want to take one of the most effective and most positive ways to communicate away?

Discussing REAL Leadership with Annie Hart

I had a lot of fun discussing REAL Leadership with Annie Hart on her show: Radio 42

RMI hits the airwaves

Beginning on February 23rd, I will be co-hosting along with Roy Saunderson, RMI President and Founder, Voice of America’s newest weekly radio show: Real Recognition Radio.

Real Recognition Radio is going to go back to what recognition is really all about. We’re going to help make better people and create more positive relationships. We’ll look at what’s new and exciting in the field of employee rewards, recognition and incentives. We’ll also talk to people who have lived successes and failures to help us learn what works and what doesn’t.

The show’s first installment will be featuring Brenna Garratt as our first guest. Brenna Garratt is a member of Rideau Recognition Solutions’ board of directors and CEO of The Delve Group, Inc. Brenna has been instrumental in working with Senior Executives to reshape and reposition existing brands, as well as invent, position and promote new ones so they are correctly understood internally and externally in their respective marketplaces.

Having been active in both the recognition field and marketing, Brenna’ll be discussing the importance of marketing and communication within your recognition program so your program touches your employees and achieves the goals you intended it to.

Real Recognition Radio will show you how to get real results in the workplace through meaningful recognition solutions.

The show premiers February 23rd, and will air every Tuesday at 1 PM ET on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel. Click here to check it out!

Love Leadership

I love books that challenge the status quo, and more importantly, provide real solutions for a better future. This is exactly why I highly recommend that you take the time to get this book: "Love Leadership: The New Way To Lead in a Fear-Based World," by John Hope Byrant.

The case John makes is this: "As unlikely as it sounds, the best way to get ahead is to figure out what you have to give to a world seemingly obsessed with only one question: "what do I get?" To make the argument that "the best way to do well and to achieve true wealth over the long term is to do good," he breaks it down into five fundamental laws:

1. Loss Creates Leaders (there can be no strength without legitimate suffering)
2. Fear Fails (only respect and love leads to success)
3. Love Makes Money (love is at the core of true wealth)
4. Vulnerability is Power (when you open up to people, they open up to you)
5. Giving is Getting (the more you offer to others the more they will give back to you)

Do yourself a favor and buy this book for Valentine's Day -- it is a great read and I've purchased several copies to share with clients and friends.

I'm also very excited to be interviewing Chairman John Hope Bryant to discuss the book in further detail on Real Recognition Radio -- more details coming soon so stay tuned!

Perfection Not Required

"Things don't have to be perfect to be wonderful." Veanne Elg

Sometimes, our fear of imperfection is so great that we are unable to do anything. Seth Godin recently said something to this effect: "When I'm feeling scared about something then I know I should keep pursuing it." He went on to say that the times in his life that haven't gone well were the times when he listened to the voice of fear and did nothing. Likewise, his highest moments have been when he has decided to push through the fear and live life.

Why are we so gripped by fear? What is the worst that can happen? Why must we believe that anything but perfection dooms us to a life of unhappiness? Ironically, it is often the fear itself that inhibits us from finding happiness.

I invite you to consider what your life could be like without the fear of failure. What if it was okay to be imperfect? What if you could still enjoy things despite the flaws and shortcomings? I'm not suggesting that we accept failure or never try to improve, but I do believe that we would all live happier lives if we didn't focus on our weaknesses so much.

Remember: "Things don't have to be perfect to be wonderful."

HR’s Opportunity to Create Meaning, Live Values, & Humanize Work

Allan Collins, President & CEO of SuccessInHR.com, recently asked this question on LinkedIn: “What is the single biggest opportunity HR professionals need to prepare for in the next 1-2 years?”

My response comes in THREE overlapping parts and I’ll explain why I think these are all so important:

1) To create meaning:

HR has the biggest opportunity to create MEANING in the workplace. People want to be part of a cause and science proves engagement increases when we are doing things we’re passionate about. Understanding the business objectives is not enough! HR needs to be part of the team that FORMS the business objectives to ensure alignment and to create meaningful work.

2) To live the values:

The BOOMERS made the $$$. They are the last generation to know what a pension is, and they have saved some cash (okay, I know there are a few endangered company pensions out there, but ultimately, they will only exist in government jobs and history books). This younger generation has to figure out how to survive on a 401K, increasing premiums, and no insurance after retirement. Why do they want more now? Why not? They don’t see a lot of hope for making it to retirement if they aren’t aggressive.

Companies have proven over and over again that shareholders are more important than employees (with the exception of a few executives that make hundreds of millions of dollars). The younger generation has witnessed all of the corporate GREED . . . so why are we surprised that they don’t feel loyal in return? The CEO of GE just recently talked about the sins of his generation of leaders . . . it is sad and true.

The challenge for HR: Demonstrating ethics, proving that the values are lived not just printed, and engaging this workforce in purposeful work.

3) Humanize the workplace:

HR needs to seize the opportunity to demonstrate how the company of tomorrow will quickly replace old styles of abusing employees. The best places to work will demonstrate a passion for HUMANIZING the work experience again. They will be faster and more flexible then the competition, and ultimately, they will reap the rewards. HR must DRIVE this conversation rather than just going with the flow.