Blue Bridge Leadership

Executive Coaching, Career Coaching, Training, Leadership Development, Professional Development

13 More Easy Recognition Strategies for Home and Work

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In my last post, I listed 10 easy recognition strategies for leaders and colleagues in the workplace, and promised you some more. However, I thought it would be relevant and fun to list those that can be used at home as well. Here are great ideas to spread the love around.

Appreciation and Recognition at Home

  1. You call it mush. She calls it a casserole. Eat it anyway. And smile.
  2. He’s got unique admirable qualities–point them out.
  3. Want to be a a true servant leader? Wash your husband’s stinky feet. Even Jesus did this. (Once a year is enough.)
  4. Want to be a loving husband? Take over the chore she hates the most. (Once a year is not, I repeat, not enough.
  5. Give his wagging butt a little pat. Oh, you thought I meant your husband’s? No, the dog, silly.
  6. Call her on the phone for no real reason–just to show her you’re thinking about her.

Appreciation and Recognition at Work

  1. Give out awards for fastest staple-er, hands that fly across the keyboard the quickest, best deal closer, warmest smile, heartiest handshake, most authentic–you name it.
  2. Hold other more serious contests.
  3. Give him a biscuit. Oh, you thought I meant your colleague? No, I mean to the colleague’s dog, for those companies that let their employees bring their pets to work.
  4. Praise extraordinary workers in the company news bulletin or announcements.
  5. Chocolate. Need I say more?
  6. Oh, and did I already mention in my previous post about an afternoon off? Well, in case it didn’t sink it. Nike was right. Just do it. Talk about spreading the love around.
  7. Just say the words: Thank you. I appreciate you. You are what makes our company the success that it is.

Ahhhh. I’m feeling warm and cozy already.

P.S. Your ideas? What works? Doesn’t work? Got a story to share? Please do so in the box below. (By the way, I appreciate you for doing so!) And if you enjoyed this post, please sign up for our newsletter (with free ebook) and our blog subscription, and consider sharing this link with others. Thank you!

Off the Wall Christmas Contest for Work

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In a previous post, I talked about giving out an award (even for zany reasons) as a means of recognizing and appreciating others. Here’s an off the wall Christmas contest, based on a game I played many years ago. It’s called “Guess the Christmas Carol.” Okay, so perhaps it’s not business-y enough to deserve a real award, but hey! Who cares? It’s fun! And…perhaps it’s another good way of building work relationships.

Directions: Guess the Christmas Carol. (Hint: Replace many of the words with synonyms). I’ll give you the answer to the first one. See how many you or your colleagues can figure out. 

  1. Approach everyone who is steadfast. (Answer: Oh Come All Ye Faithful)
  2. Ecstasy toward the orb.
  3. Listen! The Foretelling spirits harmonize.
  4. Hey, Minuscule urban area southeast of Jerusalem.
  5. Quiescent Nocturnal period.
  6. The Autocrat troika originating near the ascent of Apollo.
  7. The primary carol.
  8. Embellish the corridors.
  9. I’m fantasizing concerning a blanched yuletide.
  10. I apprehended my maternal parent osculating with a corpulent unshaven male in crimson disguise.
  11. During the time ovine caretakers supervised their charges past midnight.
  12. The thing manifests itself at the onset of a transparent day.
  13. The coniferous nativity.
  14. What offspring abides thus?
  15. Removed in a bovine feeding trough.
  16. Valentino, the roseate proboscises wapiti.
  17. The slight percussionist lad.
  18. Father Christmas approaches the metropolis.
  19. Seraphim we aurally detected in the stratosphere.
  20. The Creator reassures you, lively fellows.

So reader, can you come up with your own? If so, share with the rest of us!

Gratitude and Appreciation: 10 Easy Employee Recognition Strategies

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Winston Churchill said it best: “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” This brings to mind employee recognition, though the topic is certainly relevant to anyone you encounter.

Here are 10 easy, no or low cost ways to recognize others and demonstrate your appreciation:

  1. Take her out to lunch.
  2. Offer to do one of his unpleasant tasks that he would normally have to do.
  3. Ask him questions about his personal interests and aspirations.
  4. Send her a thank you card via mail, expressing your gratitude for what she does. Be specific.
  5. Put up a “You’re Awesome” bulletin board, where staff can pin up words of thanks to their colleagues. Works for the family too!
  6. Employee Olympics, anyone? What kinds of events or competitions could you create? What kinds of medals and awards would you give?
  7. Ask the team to give him a standing ovation for a job well done.
  8. Rotate weekly who gets the “Trophy of Awesomeness” (or whatever you want to call it), based on who went above and beyond the call of duty.
  9. When did hand-written, honest to goodness, thank you cards go out of style?
  10. If all else fails, an afternoon off would certainly do the trick.
What do you do for employee recognition? Put your ideas in the comment box below.
And stay tuned for 10 more strategies next week.
P.S.  If you enjoyed this post and would like to stay current on topics such as personal and organizational leadership, employee engagement and satisfaction, and personal and professional growth and development, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter (with free ebook) and blog. 

9 Steps for Creating a High Performing Coaching Culture

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Want to be more empowered, effective, and successful? Get a coach. Want those same attributes to define your company’s culture? Well, that’s another story.

Based on research conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership, “[L]eaders are confident that coaching cultures benefit the business in ways that include: increasing employee engagement, job satisfaction, morale, collaboration and teamwork. Yet, these same leaders recognize that their organizations may be out of step in their current use of coaching compared with the potential of coaching.”

So what we have here is the belief that while building a culture of coaching can and does bring huge benefits to companies, rarely do leaders implement the practice, despite having been trained in coaching skills. According to BlessingWhite’s research, “Few [companies] have succeeded in creating cultures where coaching of employees is a regular, fully supported, and rewarded managerial practice….They like to coach, know they should, but don’t get around to doing it with any regularity.”

Training, implementation, and sustainability—the key elements critical for success.

But how does an organization build this kind of culture, anyway?

According to extensive studies done by The Center for Creative Leadership, Personnel Today, Coaching Today, Business Management, BlessingWhite, International Coach Federation, and others, organizations must follow these nine steps in order to integrate coaching into an organization, sustain the coaching, and see the long-term positive results from creating a coaching culture.

9 Steps:

  1. Find a sponsor or champion of the coaching initiative—a highly respected top executive with much influence. This creates buy-in.
  1. Find leaders within the organization who can role-model coaching skills.
  1. Link coaching outcomes to business goals. Coaching cannot be a stand-alone initiative. It must be aligned with the strategic goals of the company, with measurable results.
  1. Train top leaders in coaching skills. Be sure that the training doesn’t just teach about coaching but actually trains leaders through hands-on practice and feedback.
  1. Utilize external coaches. Any kind of culture change is a long-term process that benefits greatly from an unbiased, objective outside observer. An external coach will provide observation, insight, feedback, and accountability to stick with the changes desired.
  1. Coach the managers and teams. Says BlessingWhite, “It’s common for managers to need coaching on coaching.” This goes for teams too. So, even if managers have been trained how to coach, they still need coaching from an external coach on their coaching, to ensure the implementation and sustainability of these new behaviors that drive culture change.
  1. Recognize and reward. Because coaching shouldn’t be seen as a stand-alone imitative (do it, then forget it), role models of good coaching should be recognized and rewarded, and the benefits frequently highlighted. In fact, some leadership companies believe that coaching is so important for high performance, that it should be tied to compensation.
  1. Incorporate coaching with other processes. For example, coaching must be integrated with processes such as talent management, job competencies, and learning and development. This way, coaching becomes fully engrained into the culture and moves from being merely a skill that is utilized on occasion to the regular way of doing things.
  1. Regularly measure and evaluate. Like anything else that is important, coaching should be measured and evaluated on a regular basis. How is it working? What business results are seen? Where is coaching not being applied with diligence? How is it being tied into the overall vision and strategy of the organization?

While the above nine steps require much effort, time, and financial resources, the benefits of higher performance, effectiveness, engagement, satisfaction, and teamwork are worth it. Creating a sustainable culture of coaching is an investment with huge dividends for companies eager and motivated to see its power and results.

So I’m curious, has your company built this kind of culture? And if so, what have been the specific results? I’d like to hear your ideas in the box below.

Work-Life Balance: A Love-Hate Relationship

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“I just want to run away from it all!” Jenny remembered saying to herself as she drove home from work. After relaying bad news to two of her patients, a lunch break that was anything but, a pile of forms to complete, and a phone call from her son’s school saying he was in trouble—again, she had had it. As she sat through several red lights, she imagined herself arriving home to starving children, fixing a casserole, kissing the kids good night, washing the dishes, and packing her bags to the Bahamas, Spain, the hotel down the road, anywhere. So long work! I’ll miss you children! I wish you luck, my dear, sweet husband.

Jenny is like most professionals I know—women and men alike: busy, ragged, and torn in several directions. We want it all—our careers, our families, our lifestyle. Yet time is not our friend. There never seems to be enough.

But what if time were our friend

—the driving force that makes us prioritize? Inherently, we know that time is our most treasured resource. The sense that the clock is ticking away motivates us to hug our kids, rub our spouse’s shoulders, laugh with friends, and work hard.

Work hard—that’s the kicker, because we are torn between work and our other life. However, we can reduce our stress and have an abundant, joyful life if we strive for balance.

Inquire about Your Work Options.

Check with your employer to see if other options exist, such as telecommuting, job sharing, flex hours, or a compressed workweek. Even if those options don’t exist, create a proposal that lists benefits to the company. You can’t receive if you don’t ask.

Set Boundaries.

As a professional executive leadership coach, I work with clients who are so driven to succeed that they often take work home with them. Don’t let your relationships, your health, and your sense of well being suffer. Leave work at work. Turn off your cell phone. Set a time for your last email check of the evening and stick with it. If that’s not possible, set boundaries you can commit to, so you can enjoy a family walk or a weekly board game. Wouldn’t you like to linger over conversation at the dinner table? Engage in tickle fights?

Make a List.

Finish this sentence: “If I achieved better work-life balance, I would….” Would you take tango lessons? Serve at a soup kitchen? Make a list of the things you would do, and then schedule them on the calendar, just as you would a doctor appointment.  Do it now. Don’t wait, or life will happen. It always does.

Give It the Thirty-Day Test:

Ask yourself, “If I received the devastating news that I only had thirty days left to live, what would my life look like?” If you choose how to spend your time wisely through this lens, your sense of balance will improve. Life is about priorities. Do only what’s necessary. Step off the committee if you must. Cut back on your kids’ sports. Let others pick up the slack. Simplify and thrive.

Rest, Reflect, Rejuvenate.

Are you in desperate need of a few days off? We all are! You were never meant to be a superhero, so stop acting like one. The world will not end if you stop to enjoy the beauty around you. So let’s take our own advice and meet our need for quiet, solitude, reflection, rest, and play. We will then be healthier and better able to meet the needs of those we love and serve.

Work-life balance is no accident. So I challenge you to set aside a few hours this week to create a plan you can implement successfully. Ahhhhh. Now doesn’t that feel better already?

What about you, reader? What strategies do you employ for work-life balance? Put your comments below.