Unnecessary Accusations of Inaccuracy

I appreciate Dawn Westerberg's blog on healthy & unhealthy behavior in the workplace. She wrote it after reading a tweet I posted the other day that said this:

REAL leaders celebrate when others on the team succeed . . . ego-driven managers fear they will lose status.

Interestingly, I wrote this based on my own past experience with managers that were very threatened by the success of anyone else on their team. They reluctantly praised people, but you could feel their hesitancy, and worse, they talked down the team accomplishments while searching for as much praise and recognition as they could find for themselves.

The problem with this is that managers that lack self-esteem often try to cover it up with ego that does even more harm. According to Wikipedia, healthy narcissism is often required to overcome a sense of insignificance. However, an unhealthy narcissism quickly leads to magical thinking where the person thinks they are perfect and they distort the truth to dump on others instead. It is a major cause of bullying, arrogance, and envy -- all of which destroy workplace morale.

We all want to feel good about ourselves. Indeed, a healthy dose of confidence is critical to healthy relationships where people can appreciate one another and celebrate when others do well. The danger comes when one feels compelled to distort the truth to protect their own perceived status of importance. Indeed, to use Dawn's words, unhealthy behavior results in "unnecessary accusations of inaccuracy."

The Power of Service / Milestone Awards

Companies have long used milestone awards to thank people for their years of service to the organization. Now, some are suggesting that such recognition isn't relevant anymore since the average tenure of employees is only SIX years (much less in some industries), and the younger generations don't want it. Before you throw it out, let me ask you a few questions:

1. How do you deliver service awards?
2. What percentage of your population do you reach in a positive way?
3. Do you make it memorable for the recipient & the audience?

The truth is that a great service award program is a terrific way to reinforce your company values and purpose. While many people work hard, it is good to stop and celebrate once in a while as a reminder that our efforts are not in vain. The kicker is that it must be done well to have a meaningful impact, but doesn't every program?

Unlike other forms of recognition, service awards also have no dark side. No one will be jealous of the award recipients, and when done respectfully, the other employees will see how the company appreciates good work. It isn't a survival award (though in some cases, it could be). It is a celebration of one's contribution to the company's values & purpose.

Do it right and you have a powerful way of communicating your company message without a lecture or threat. The nice thing is that people respond better to a positive message as well!