Recognition for Employees
Open any corporate leadership textbook and you will find guidance on servant leadership, on treating people well and fairly – and one of the best ways to pretend that you are actually interested in these things, is through recognition.
Corporate HR technology will likely have some tool you can use to ‘applaud’ exceptional behaviour, which may include a small remuneration (this corporate stooge’s org includes points that are equivalent to dollars (100/1) that you can use for purchasing goods in an online store. Similar to pachinko in Japan).
Additionally, there are also public forums like team meetings, town halls, corporate events, and other large group settings where the opportunity can be carved out to say thank you to employees, teams, project groups, who have really excelled. Ideally, choose a setting where your peers and superiors are present.
This may sound all deeply selfish and unkind.
To give recognition in normal life is to say thank you, to give praise, and show that you recognize the person and the deed.
And in your career I do not do anything but encourage being a genuine, kind person who thanks people for their work.
However, the corporate jungle is a different environment than the home or the arena. In a corporate setting , recognition functions as a deeply entrenched form of virtue signalling. Take this action seriously and you will reap the benefits.
While in public settings, congratulate your own team for the work they’ve done, either on the whole or individually – by default you are congratulating yourself. After all, you are the one that hired them, prioritized the work, and no doubt checked in occasionally and gave direction. Public forums are a great place for this nod to one’s accomplishments – “a huge shout out to the marketing team who persevered and crushed their targets this Quarter”
There is an added benefit – the audience should get the impression that you are a generous, selfless leader. Make no mistake, the perception of humility and servant leadership is what you are seeking and obtaining here, and what better way to achieve that through tooting your own horn.
It’s a win win. Self aggrandizement through highlighting your own successes in an indirect acceptable way, and reputational entrenchment through broadcasting your own humility and selflessness.
Being a leader who is able to highlight their teams successes effectively is critical in todays corporate environment, and without it your career may be limited. Reap the benefits, and oh yeah, if you care, your employees might feel good about themselves and enjoy their job at the same time.