Reward and Recognition
Money is never an effective rallying point for high
performance. It can't be. Money doesn't create energy and
excitement in a bigger cause and purpose. The people who
helped create the profits should share in the rewards in
proportion to their contribution. But more important than
the money are the messages profit and performance bonuses
can send. They should make people feel like partners, not
puppets on a string.
There are only two groups of people who thrive on sincere
recognition and genuine appreciation — men and women.
Recognition and appreciation continually show up near the
top of most lists of motivational factors. They are key
sources of the fun and excitement, will to win, desire to
belong, and passion so vital to continually improving
performance.
Highly effective leaders use a multitude of ways to build
an atmosphere of success, accomplishment, and pride through
recognition and appreciation. These leaders model,
encourage, and support people, giving recognition and
appreciation up, down, and across the organization, and
within and among teams and team members. Managers who have
well developed personal recognition skills and appreciation
habits lead these vibrant, successful cultures.
|
Traditional Management Approach
|
Leadership-Based Approach
|
|
Lead with, to manipulate, control, and direct
behavior
|
Follow with, to support organization change and
improvement |
| Used on employees to push
motivational buttons |
Used with people to develop meaningful systems
and practices |
| Paternalistic pats on the head |
Participative, respectful partnerships |
| Management decides who gets rewarded
and recognized for meeting their goals |
Customer input helps management and partners
decide whom and how to reward and recognize |
| Assumption that performance problems
are from lazy, unmotivated, and uncaring people |
Knowledge that poorly designed systems,
structures, and processes leave people feeling
powerless and uncaring |
Recognition Choices:
- Management by exception
- Flattery and manipulation
- Recognition and appreciation
Keys to Effective Reward and
Recognition:
- Compensation system is perceived to be
fair.
- Involves those being rewarded/recognized in
its design.
- Transparent, with lots of visibility and
feedback.
- Aligned with your goal deployment system.
- Reinforces team/organization behaviors.
- Avoids "recognition lotteries" or
paternalistic favoritism.
- Trains and models lots of informal
recognition.
- Recognition is as immediate as possible.
- Celebrates the many small wins along the
way.
For further reading
click here and read "Recognition
and Appreciation Inspires and Energizes".
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