justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

Giving praise & recognition to colleagues–

easy to do, and has incredible impact

Several years ago, I developed and facilitated a course called Emerging Leader, designed for employees interested in becoming managers. In addition to providing a “taste” of what management might be like through skill mini-modules and scenarios focused on human resource challenges, the course ended with the subjects of praise and recognition - both of which are desired, but are almost universally ignored on the job.

We started with the question, “How many of you feel you receive the praise or recognition you deserve?” The collective response from the hundreds of participants was a nearly unanimous “not me.” This was followed by the question, “Who do you feel is responsible for providing that recognition?” Once again, the response of “my manager” was nearly unanimous.

I next framed the subject around yet another question: “If not you, than who?” When you provide praise and recognition to a colleague, a person who would most likely not be expecting either one, it can have a powerful impact. This challenge continues to have a mighty influence on the work lives of the 300+ participants who attended the course over a five-year period.

Tom Peters, known as the “quality guru”, co-wrote the monumental bestseller In Search of Excellence, in which he encouraged personal responsibility and to empower decision-makers across all levels of an organization. Peters presented his thoughts on employee recognition, which he calls THE #1 Best Practice.

While Peters’ emphasis on this practice is seen from the position of a manager, the practice can take on even greater impact when everyone sees him or herself as a “recognizer