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Recognize and Reward Achievement

HOW DO YOU REWARD and recognize your team? Let’s face it, reward and recognition are motivators for some individuals. It’s a fundamental part of human nature to seek and respond to rewards.

What is rewarded in your organization? What is rewarded in your department? We often work with organizations that talk about the importance of employee recognition, but rarely do we encounter an organization that consistently follows through. All too often, we learn that our clients only reward results, no matter what kind of collateral damage they may have done in the wake of their focus on results alone. Or even worse, some leaders simply provide team members with their annual 3 percent raise regardless of development or concrete results.

We suggest that, if you hope to create a culture of continuous development in your organization, you reward people for committing to this endeavor. If you do not, “personal development” will simply become words without action in your organization. Of course, we are saying neither that the organization needs to spend millions on reward systems, nor that you as the leader must develop an elaborate scheme for recognition and rewards.

Throw the work back to your team members. Ask them to develop a simple system that works within your budget and acknowledges those who continually grow and develop in their roles. Encourage team members to brainstorm rewards and then have them attach their names to those areas that are most significant to them. Yes, money may come out on top. If you have power over this, great. If not, it’s important to remember that money is only a short-term motivator. For true long-term motivation factors, look beyond money.

The best thing about reward and recognition is that it doesn’t need to cost a penny. Get creative. One organization we worked with relied heavily upon peer recognition. Each month, an employee would pass along a simple award to another employee, and so on—classic peer-to-peer recognition. The award is not necessarily important. What is important to note is that the award was developed by team members. Staff members chose the award, and they chose the recipients month after month. What could this look like in your department? If not given monthly, could it be a quarterly award? Could the entire group vote on the recipient? The details are not important—let your team figure those out. What is important is that you have facilitated reward and recognition in your department, something we could all use more of. Something we all appreciate. Something that makes people feel good about the work they do.