You Made My Day

I had something pretty cool happen recently. Someone told me that I "just made their day." Here's the coolest part...

...it was a stranger
...it involved public recognition
...and it leveraged his company's rewards program for the public to use

Wow! Right?

Practicing and Preaching
I've spent many years proclaiming the power of recognition. We all know it's an important tool for building relationships, trust, loyalty, and engagement. Sometimes I'm better at practicing it than preaching it, but I never lose sight of how impactful it can be.

The Story
Some of you may know that my professional life involves a heavy amount of travel; and with that, comes a familiarity with the staff of Southwest, the carrier I use. Well, one of the gate agents in Tampa is not only incredibly positive, but he is consistently positive every single day. 

Let's face it....gate agents don't get much glory. They don't sing you the safety instructions or bring you cans of water. They are stuck announcing flight delays or gate changes. 

Absolutely no glory whatsoever.

Well, Southwest has a rewards program whereby they send reward coupons to customers like me (think drink coupons, but targeted at recognizing their team members.) The coupons are personalized to me as a frequent customer, and allows me to recognize their team.

How good is that?

Which leads to his comment as I was walking by him to board the plane.

How About You
Are you doing more preaching than practicing when it comes to recognition in your organization? It's funny how it actually works out. His response made my day too.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Compliments Are Brutal

I'm going out on a limb today. I'm trusting you all...and I'm going to share what may sound like a ridiculous issue in my professional life. So if you're going to keep reading, you have to waive your right to call me names at the end.

Deal?

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, Right?

Part of what is supposed to make up a human resources practitioner's DNA is the ability to do three things well: recognize, praise, and in return receive praise. I'm reasonably effective at the first two. My organization does a lot of recognition both individually and collectively. My HR team sends positive notes to each other, brings in snacks to share, and supports one another on most days.

I like the first two....recognition and praise.

Third One Is Not A Charm 

I'm not sure what happened with my HR wiring, but I have a difficult time receiving praise. Sure, I can put a smile on my face, and act as gracious as the next person; but on the inside I'm wishing I could simply move on to that next person faster than a Steven Stamkos slap shot moves toward the net.

I warned you...not a real problem, right? Probably some sort of character flaw that I get too worked up about. Maybe I should follow the advice of so many "experts" out there and just let it go? Maybe.

Except I can't.

What's Going On Here

So what gives if I'm writing about how uncomfortable I am with positive feedback? Am I secretly trying to trick all of you into sending me positive notes to help bolster my self-esteem? Um, no. Fortunately I'm pretty solid in the self-esteem department (thanks Mom and Dad.)

I know it isn’t easy to get feedback – bad or good – and most “things” are about teaching you how to accept bad feedback and turn it into change. Sometimes good feedback is also hard to hear and accept (insert Jay here) – but there is something to learn from good and there aren’t a lot of “things” that teach you how to do it. In fact, society often calls it bragging!

If we want our feedback to be heard – that’s what we do all day as HR leaders - maybe we need to be sure we hear the feedback we get from others – even good – as it is an opportunity to learn and grow.  When we don’t hear it or accept it, then we don’t do either one.  If we practice what we preach, then we need to hear all feedback. 

How About You 

I think the real reason I'm putting out such a personal, and candidly a bit embarrassing issue, is that I'm trying to push myself in my writing and leadership; and yes, that means tackling a very personal issue that doesn't seem to "fix" itself.

Okay, I'm letting you out of our deal. You can feel free to give me a virtual body slam over this issue. It's okay. I'm really experienced at handling the negative stuff.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Special thanks to Linda Aldred for her contributions to the development of this post.

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Turns Out...It's Not About Me

I have the privilege of experiencing a bunch of cool things in my work. Sometimes they're frustrating, and sometimes they're wonderful success stories; but mostly I get to work with a great group of dedicated HR professionals who are pushing hard to make a difference each day. That's pretty awesome.

And sometimes I actually think all of this awesomeness is because of me. Pffft.

Get A Clue

There's nothing like a few minutes of reflection on how work really gets done to make the "Jay-Complex" quickly disappear. I too often find myself getting fired up about this new idea or that new approach and don't take the time to slow down and consider the impact of my actions on those around me. Sure, I come up with a reasonably decent idea every now and then, but...

But sometimes I actually think all of progress we've made is because of me. Pffft.

How About You

So it turns out I can fall into the trap of thinking my success is mostly about me. I am fortunate to have such a patient and understanding team that sees through my weakness, pleasantly smiles, and then waits for me to come back down to earth. Do you appreciate your team, or do you spend a lot of time - like I do - making that damned Pffft sound?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



photo credit

Do Milestones Matter?

Don't be this guy...


"Welcome everyone.  Thank you for coming to the 1,000th annual awards banquet for surviving another year here at You-Are-Expendable, Inc.  I just want to say how proud I am of each and every one of you for the....uh...stuff that you do in your jobs.  You are really something.  Now I'm going to call each of you up by name to receive your certificate of longevity here at Expendable.  Forgive me if I can't pronounce any of your names correctly.  Let's begin..." 


Milestones Represent More Than A Date
One of the phrases that drives me crazy is when an employee is characterized negatively because "they've been here forever."  Are you kidding me?  The employees that have been with your company "forever" are the ones that have been through thick and thin.  They've experienced so many changes you couldn't begin to count them.  They've managed through changing leadership, staff that come and go, and technology that was only a  dream when they first came on board. They are the company.  

Be Sincere, Or Be Gone
The next time you are standing in front of a group of employees, whether it's 5 or 500, make sure they know how truly important it is to you that they have remained loyal for so long.  By the way, it's not just the employees that have been loyal.  Their spouses, kids, partners, and friends have all put up with last minute schedule changes, overtime, emergencies, and new projects that needed extra time.  Make sure they know that you know about them too.


How About You
Do milestones matter?  You bet your life they do. What are you going to do the next time someone criticizes someone for being a "lifer?"  I'm hoping you get in their face and let them know that the "lifers" are the loyal ones that helped make your organization what it is today.

I'd love to hear from you.


No Excuses.




pic courtesy of CT

Power Post - 3 QUICK STEPS TO EFFECTIVE RECOGNITION

"Thank you."  "Great job."  "Thanks for the effort."  All too often I find myself using these phrases believing that I'm recognizing members of my team, or those that do great work in my organization.  But, wait a minute.  Is telling someone "good job" truly recognizing them?  Am I insulting them by assuming they have only done one task?

As I uttered these words again this week, I realized I had become lazy and was no longer using three basic steps that ensure effective recognition:

1.  Be Specific

Tell the people you want to recognize exactly what you are talking about.

2.  Be Timely

There is nothing worse that making the effort to praise someone for a job well done and suddenly realizing they finished that project weeks ago.

3.  Make it Personal

It can actually be a poignant moment when you look someone in the eye and tell them how important it was to you personally that they did such good work.  When you are sincere it shows in a very powerful way.





Who do you need to recognize today?  What have they done that has made a difference not only for your organization, but for you as a leader?  When you follow through, make sure you get the desired effect, and follow these basic steps.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



pic courtesy of http://www.blogcdn.com/