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As employees, we often feel that our actions are not recognized enough.  We’ve all had that big project that went off without a hitch, yet we never got a word of praise uttered to us from our leader.  Or that really big crisis that you were asked to work extra time to take care of, without even a thank you for the extra time.  We all know how it feels.

What is interesting is that as we move into a leadership role, we see the other side of the coin.  We ask our top employee to tackle that crisis.  Let’s call her Mary.  We see the extra work that Mary puts in to get things taken care of.  However, because we always seem to be in the firefighter mode, it never fails that the moment you wanted to go over to her and thank her for the extra effort another fire flares up and takes your attention.  Great intention, poor performance. 

When you get that new fire put out, you think about the praise you should have given Mary.  But the moment is gone and you feel like a schmuck saying “Thank You” now.  And then we say to ourselves something like this: “Surely she saw how busy I was with that other fire.  I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  She knows why I couldn’t give her praise on that last project – I didn’t have the time.  I’ll make sure to give her double praise next time and make up for it.”

Unfortunately, Mary doesn’t see it the same way.  She sees all the work that she did and you didn’t even take the time to say “Thank You.”  Imagine how much extra effort she will give next time she is asked to work on a project.

As leaders and managers, we know that giving praise and recognition is important.  However, every manager I speak to tells me that he/she could do a better job at giving their employees praise on a more consistent basis.  Many people grew up without a constant flow of praise.  As managers, giving praise on a daily basis may not be natural.  It takes work, organization, intentionality, discipline, and time.  Precious time that we don’t have.

I recently saw an article in my local newspaper that talked about the younger generation and their need for praise.  Younger generations grew up with much more “positive parenting” than older generations.  For many of these people, there was a constant flow of praise and encouragement given when growing up.  These generations of emloyees have learned that getting constant praise is normal and they expect it.  Without it, they are often lost or feel as if they are unappreciated.  If they go too long without praise, they may decide to work somewhere else where they will get the praise they need, want, and expect.

So how do we integrate employee recognition into our management style?  If paying close attention to your employees’ work and dishing out praise for a job well done doesn’t come naturally to you, then you need to tackle this topic as you would tackle any other initiative in your organization.  Design an employee recognition strategy.  Yes.  Design.  Take time to create a complete multi-level strategy for your organization.  Decide what will be recognized at the organization level, the department level, and the sub-department level. 

It is important to build consistency across the levels of an organization.  For example, don’t let one department give a trip to the Bahamas for perfect attendance while another department gives a mall certificate.

Another thing to remember is that recognition isn’t reward.  Recognition doesn’t have to be more than a thank you, a hand-written note, or a mention at a staff meeting.  Just remember these few things about a recognition program:

• Keep it simple – you already have enough to do
• Keep it fresh – but keep it consistent enough so it doesn’t look like a totally different program every month
• Keep it regular – schedule a recognition ceremony each month at your staff meetings (you are having staff meetings, right?)
• Focus on performance – praise the things that generate growth for the department or organization
• Track results – keep log sheets of who was recognized each month so you have something to refer back to when it is time for raises, reviews, and promotions
• Hold everyone to the same standards – don’t show favoritism

Several years ago I designed my own department-level recognition program.  The company I was working for was going through huge changes (i.e., we had six presidents over a five year period) and my staff of eight was not focusing on their work like they needed to because of all the noise throughout the organization.  They were very busy paying attention to what was going on outside the department – paying attention to things they couldn’t control – while I needed them to focus on what was going on inside the department – paying attention to things they could control.

I had to leave my firefighter mode for a couple days and I created my own AWARDS Program – a bank of 20 awards that I printed on pre-perforated business card sheets.  I decided to recognize those activities that were performance-based and that the staff had control over so they could be successful.  I also decided to hand out the awards at my monthly staff meetings.  I still tried to give immediate praise when I saw something good happen.  However, if I missed the moment, I still had the opportunity to recognize the employee(s) at the monthly meeting.

Having the awards up front made things much easier for me.  I knew what to look for and it forced me to pay attention to what my people were doing.  It took very little time to manage the program.  I also created log sheets for each employee to capture the awards they received.

The program wasn’t a feel-good program where everybody got something each month.  Sometimes I gave out two awards, other times I gave out eight awards, and still other times I gave out none.

I said that I created 20 awards.  However, I didn’t tell the staff what the awards were when I introduced the program.  I kept them secret until somebody deserved one of the awards.  This kept it fresh for over two years.  Two years of recognition for virtually no cost.

Although nobody in my department was able to control the external noise, we were able to stay focused and reach our department goals during some very turbulent times.

Employees want and need recognition.  As supervisors, managers, or leaders, we need to drop the “I don’t have time to create something” excuse.  If you don’t have a regular recognition program in place for your staff today, developing such a program should be one of your top priorities.  Your employees deserve it.  If you don’t feel like you are creative enough to make something, contact me for ideas.  I’d be happy to help you.  Attached is a small collage of award ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Benefits of an Employee Recognition Program

1. Lower costs by focusing on recognition instead of reward

2. Increase productivity by making sure people are focused on the things that will benefit the organization by recognizing those things

3. Improve morale by letting your employees know that their work is meaningful and that they are appreciated

4. Develop management by helping them learn how to pay attention to their staff’s accomplishments and build the skill of recognizing employees

Best Practices for being able to create and sustain an Employee Recognition Program

1. Keep it simple
2. Keep it fresh
3. Keep it regular
4. Focus on performance
5. Track results
6. Hold everyone to the same standards

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One very effective way to take stock of past successes and challenges as well as begin to plan your company’s 2024 initiatives is to do a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis of your company and its functional areas.

While a traditional SWOT analysis activity suggests capturing a long list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, I suggest that you go against traditional thinking to create a more productive session and output.  I typically limit the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to no more than four each per small group of people (2-3 max).  While there are certainly more items that could go on the list, the reality is that when you begin to act on the information gathered, four action items or initiatives in each area are just about all that a company can handle and act on effectively.

So what will limiting your ideas to four per section do to improve the outcome?  It forces the group to pick the most important topics.  Conversely, when the people are allowed to make an endless inventory of weaknesses, for example, the session can quickly turn into a depressing, nitpicking, morale-lowering experience.  By keeping the list short, people can’t lament or rehash topics over and over.

I also find that limiting captured items to five keeps people on task.  The session is shorter, more focused, more productive, and more engaging.

Once each group has captured the top four items for S, W, O, and T, it is recommended that they define the benefits or impacts the items have (or could have) on the company or department.

Having the most important items captured (in a workable quantity) and understanding the benefits and impacts on the business will open the door to some exciting dialogue, goal setting, and strategic planning for 2024.

If time allows, a creative way to spark even more dialogue is to have your management team generate a SWOT analysis of the company and then have a group of employees go through the same activity without knowledge of the management’s results.  With these two perspectives to compare, discussions get very interesting.

While gathering perspectives/information is valuable, it is only one half of the equation.  How you turn your ideas, direction, and strategic initiatives into goals, action items, metrics, and priorities take a planning activity from a one-time event to a strategic guiding tool for the year to come.

Benefits of doing a hyper-focused SWOT Analysis

1. Lower costs by aligning perspectives, priorities, and initiatives for the coming year

2. Increase productivity by making sure people are focused on the priorities and not wasting time on non-priority tasks

3. Improve morale by making telling your employees that you want to learn what they think about the company

4. Develop management by giving them a vehicle for creating a SWOT analysis over and over, as needed

Best Practices for doing your SWOT Analysis

1. Conduct a SWOT Analysis on the company at year-end to effectively position people’s mindsets for the coming year

2. Have different groups submit their own perspectives/versions for comparison and work to close the gaps

3. Use a facilitator from outside the department (or organization) to guide the discussions and help consolidate versions

Use the Conversation Framework OVERVIEW- High-Level SWOT Analysis Activity if you do not have a structured framework at your disposal.  Watch the linked video for an explanation of OVERVIEW. 

Moving into 2024, I look forward to sharing more information, strategies, and practical tools with you – providing you with innovative management solutions.  I would love to hear from you if you have specific topics that you would like to have covered in future posts.

In a future post I will kick off the year with a topic that has started to surface more and more in the media over the last year or so and will continue to pose challenges over the next 5 to 10 years.  I call it “The Perfect Storm.”

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Current Conditions:

Some companies are having trouble finding skilled workers to fill their positions

We have become a turnstile society of employees where it is totally acceptable to be at a company for two to three years before moving on – we no longer consider these people as job-hoppers

The generation entering the workforce today needs and expects to feel connected – just look at the number of gadgets and communication tools they have at their disposal

People are moving into supervisory positions with minimal supervisor training – gone are the days of grooming and mentoring an employee to move up the ranks when the “boss” retires

Companies want to constantly grow and “reinvent” themselves in order to remain competitive

Employees want and expect to be part of the decision-making process

Forecast:

For the forecast, over the next 10 years, of the 164 million workers, 30 million people will retire and there will be only 30 million Gen Zers to replace them.

Finding qualified people to fill positions will become increasingly more difficult

The turnstile will only move faster if employees are dissatisfied with their job or employer

Companies will need to maintain high employee satisfaction, if they want to retain their most valuable assets – their employees

Managers will need to become better leaders so that employees don’t use the manager as the reason for leaving the company  (Which, by the way, is one of the most common reasons cited in exit interviews as to why an employee is leaving the company.)

Predictions:

And if could be so bold as to make some predictions:

Companies will have permanent openings and those on staff will have to carry more weight

People will easily “move on” if they are not satisfied with their situation

“Work smarter, not harder” will challenge us more than ever

Managers will need to become great leaders if they want to keep their followers

The true test will not be how to create change.  The true test will be how to weather and manage change.  For not learning how to effectively manage change in the near future may place an organization in the heart of the “perfect storm.”

Weathering the Storm

Managing change is not magic, a mystery, or a secret, nor does it need to be overwhelming.  It can be boiled down into a simple formula.  It is also logical and realistic, but it requires planning and follow-up.

There are six elements to consider when managing a change initiative, namely:

• Vision / Direction
• Processes / Procedures
• People / Resources
• Skills / Training
• Motivation
• Action Plans

Vision / Direction

When establishing vision and direction, make sure that the vision is broad, it is inspiring, it instills a sense of purpose, it is positive, and it provides energy and attitude control.

Processes / Procedures

When considering what processes and procedures need to be created or modified, consider any and all of the following:

• Team / Department
  • Administrative
  • Communication
  • Process Analysis
  • Process Improvements
  • Legal

People / Resources

When evaluating an upcoming change, make sure you have enough people, you define clear roles and responsibilities, you select the best person for the tasks, and that you communicate details to the people.

Equally important is the need to have adequate resources, which can include equipment, proper tools, financial support, knowledge, historical information, and you know if resources are to be in-house or outsourced.

Skills / Training

Skills that should be honed for effective change management are as follows:

• Overcoming barriers to change
  • Creating and managing effective teams
  • Effective leadership
  • Communication
  • Skills assessment
  • Listening
  • Being proactive

Motivation

Effective motivation is more than a simple e-mail from time-to-time.  Motivation should be an interlocking strategy that uses multiple tools (i.e., reward, recognition, responsibility, delegation, and levels of freedom).  You may need to look up, down, and sideways in the organization when designing a recognition and motivation plan.   The key word is design.  Invest time into developing a plan that fits together with other plans in the organization.

Action Plans

Creating action plans is critical.  They are the road maps to success.  Your plans should be clear, measurable, realistic, anchored with a timetable, open to the team, and written down.

What if there are missing elements?  When pieces of the change formula are missing, the outcomes and emotions are quite predictable.  For example, when everything is in place except for the proper skills and training, people start doing things only to find themselves coming to a stopping point where they can’t continue without the proper skills or training.  I call this the “False Start.”

Change is Inevitable…Growth is Optional

As Michael Dell stated in his book, Direct from Dell, “Change is opportunity.  It is also constant, direct, and temporary, for once things change, you can bet they are going to change again.  Learning to thrive on constant change is the next frontier.”

Charles Darwin gave us the following insight: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

So, has the storm already come to your company?  Is the “Perfect Storm” coming for you?  I don’t know.  If it does come your way, you may not be able to control the storm’s direction, strength, or timing.  However, you can control your organization’s readiness and ability to weather the storm’s resulting changes.

A couple ways to create a more inviting work culture are the following: 

1. Build or strengthen a proactive, situation handling culture in your organization.  Watch this video for information on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5C5k55gSHA&t=8s
2. Rethink and reconstruct your onboarding process to be as welcoming as possible for new employees.  Watch this video for information on a 9-session course that your organization can go through to reinvent your onboarding process: [link]

How to prepare for the employee shortage storm that has been brewing and will continue for the next decade:

• Build leadership skills in your people so employees will want to follow them
• Develop top-notch proactive, situation management skills across the organization so you can adapt to the employee shortage, should it hit your organization, moving away from reactive, problem solving management
• Focus on the creating efficient processes and continually refine them as the workforce dynamics change
• Find ways to break the employee turnstile movement in your company, especially with recent or upcoming hires by using ONBOARDING as a course to get in front of the storm
• Involve all levels of employees in the decision-making process as much as possible
• Work smarter, not harder at everything you do

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