Reward and recognition results in repeat behaviourPosted by Nicole CoyneOn August 4, 2016

I still have a smile on my face and a skip in my step. Why, you may wonder? Well, the other day I was publicly acknowledged for a job well done. I can honestly say it felt fabulous and yes, it does give one that little extra boost to keep moving forward. I acknowledge that as a business owner we do what we do because we love what we do, not just for the external gratification and accolades we receive from others. However, I do know that it doesn’t matter who you are, every single one of us appreciates being told, “Job well done!”

When I look around me at fellow business owners I often witness them being their hardest task masters and their biggest critics. I wouldn’t discredit the fact that there is probably a lot of negative talk going on in their heads than just positive self-assurance. Unfortunately this is pretty common behaviour when owning your own business. We don’t stop enough to smell the roses and acknowledge our own performance.

So, if we aren’t acknowledging our own performance, who else are we not acknowledging? Look around you. Who are the dedicated individuals working for you? Driving your business goals and representing your brand to the world? When last did you praise them for a job well done?

Being your own worst critic may work for you. It may push you forward and drive you to succeed, but that tactic won’t work for your team members. Yes, set high standards, let them work hard, expect the very best from your team, but don’t forget to acknowledge them and praise them for their efforts and results.

Here are a few ideas of how you can instil the “rewarding and recognition culture” into your company culture.

1) Start every meeting with a gratitude –

Before you get into the thick of things, start the meeting off with gratitudes. Move around the table so that every person is provided with an opportunity to either thank some one or acknowledge someone there.

If you repeat this practise at the beginning of every meeting, your team will start thinking about who they will thank or acknowledge even before the meeting has started. It gets people thinking. It gets them to start catching people doing good work around them.

2) Employee of the month – an oldie but a goodie.

This is a formal acknowledgment of good performance. If you development, implement and drive this programme well in your company it will become something that all team members will strive to be. This type of programme becomes a definite win-win for the business and the team members.

3) Develop an employee incentive programme, which is measured on performance.

I know there are many fantastic performance recognition initiatives out there, however the  objective behind this article is quite simple. Its about acknowledging your employees for a job well done. You may not implement a fancy programme due to time or cost issues. That’s besides the point.  If there is anything you should start doing right away, it is to  get into the habit of rewarding and recognising. This costs you nothing and the recognition will lead to repeat behaviour.