Another Word for R

That other word is recognition*.

I worked last week with a clinic staff. Warm-up discussion brought out comments that they'd appreciate it if the powers-that-be knew who they were, recognized them, and paid them a bit of attention.

These people were neither whining nor pouting. Their matter-of-fact message was, "We do our jobs. We work hard. In fact, we probably cannot work any harder. Still, it'd be nice to get a pat on the back or a 'thank you' from our leaders every now and again."

There's never too much employee recognition from an organization's leadership because

• A cared-for employee feels better about himself, his work, his managers, his company.
• An appreciated employee associates more happily with her job, her company, her associates.
• A noticed employee behaves and performs more energetically than one who's ignored.

And so

• Feeling better, being happier, and having more energy make it easier to do one's work. Yes.

Maybe employees feel they cannot work any harder. That work intensity alone warrants recognition by management and leadership.

There's a greater ROI. Recognition from leaders creates room for greater employee engagement. As my Gram used to say, dishing out heaping servings of banana
pudding, "There's always room for extra." Employee engagement means working more, working smarter, working better.

How can you make this recognition happen? Here are 3 suggestions:

• Thank You Notes. Every leader should have a box--a large box--of Thank You notes in her desk drawer. It should become second nature to write, sign, and mail a quick TYN every time good news is brought to her attention. Fact: the more TYNs she sends, the more good news she'll receive. I'm willing to assume that means more good work is being done. A victorious circle. (Quint Studer didn't invent TYNs but he's given them great press and high value in his Hardwiring Excellence.)

• We've Done Good! Any entity within an organization should feel free to toot its horn. A one-page "newsletter" that boasts of the department's (and its individuals'!) successes can be published and distributed (upward) every month. Tip: if the leaders need a little push to reply to the good news, leave a blank 2x2 inch square in one corner of the page, headed Your Note Here.
  

• Look What I've Done! If/when your organization's culture is ready for it, allow individuals to send notes (e-mails?) of specific accomplishments to the leader(s). If leaders want employees to be proud of the organization, and if leaders recognize the organization depends on the employees, it follows the leaders want employees to have pride in themselves. Why not express it? Hint: A savvy manager carefully sets the stage for this, ensuring employees carry it out appropriately.

*About this posting's title. My CORE of Employee Engagement features Resources as its R. I'm sticking with that, for great principles can't be implemented without necessary resources. However, recognition is a more-than-worthy substitute for the R in CORE.

Comments

[Derek Irvine]

Tim, I wholeheartedly agree with your message. One of my favorite Gallup quotes is: "Positive words have been found to activate regions of the brain related to reward. One employee Gallup interviewed tried to put the effect into words: 'For me, receiving praise and recognition kind of sets off a little explosion inside. It's kind of like, "Oh, that was good, but you know what? I can do better." It helps give you that drive to want to continue achieving, doing yourself one better.'" (Gallup Management Journal, August 9, 2007, The Fourth Element of Great Managing)

We've been shouting the importance of establishing "cultures of appreciation" -- based largely on saying thank you consistently and frequently -- in global organizations. Wouldn't it be even more powerful to have those thank you notes be able to come from any sector -- your manager, another manager, your peers? And then have those TYNs trackable so that your direct manager knows how appreciated and valuable you are to the organization?

I've blogged on this topic myself a good deal, most pertinently here: http://globoforce.blogspot.com/2008/03/question-of-engagement.html. I'd love to hear your comments back.

[Tim Wright]

Derek,

I'm eager to visit and read your postings. I do agree, completely, that appreciation, recognition, validation can and should come from as many directions, as many people as possible. Not just from the manager above.

From time to time I wrestle with the dilemma: seeing all the change I want to see versus working toward the change that is viable at present.

There's truth both to Gandhi's "You must be the change you want to see in the world." and Bill Wilson's "One step at a time."

Tim