Know a great leader whose feet smell like corn chips and is hairy to boot?

I do. I work alongside her nearly every day. Actually, there are two of them. Right by my feet, where they lay silently, waiting for me to bless them with a glance their way, eager to thump their tails on the floor when I do.

They are good dogs, Zoe and Maddy. They’re not only part of the family, but they also have great influence. They’ve got us wrapped around their little paws.

Leaders would be wise to take a cue from my dogs. Yeah, I know. Dogs eat vomit, sniff each other hello, and lick themselves clean. I don’t advise you do that—at least not in public. But there are a great many lessons you can learn by observing them.

Doggy Loyalty

Remember the classic Where the Red Fern Grows? Essence of story: Brother and sister dog love each other, grow up, and die together. Dogs are loyal. To us. To each other. Try breaking into my house, and the Jaws of Death will lunge at your neck. And where one dog goes, the other follows. This includes getting out the front door as they chase each other off into the distance, ignoring my pleas to “Come back!” (Okay, so this is where my loyalty metaphor breaks down; loyalty to each other is sometimes more important than to me).

Can you imagine what the workplace would look like were leaders to exemplify loyalty in all their dealings? Loyalty to the vision. Loyalty to the values. Loyalty to staff’s development? Loyalty to work-life balance and boundaries?

Wolf Pack on Mission

Open the door to the backyard, and—pop! goes the gun—they’re off! That squirrel never did see it coming. Just kidding. They’ve never caught one, but their vision is clear: death to all squirrels (and all rodent life). Their mission? War against the fuzzy enemy. How? Together! Stand in their path? Do you want stay alive?

Effective leaders, too, not only cast the vision but also help those they lead to adopt it for themselves. Whether the vision is squirrels or creating a new market, they engage their team in the mission, trampling “it can’t be done’s,” plowing through obstacles, and chasing after the dream. And how the vision and mission is accomplished is through teamwork and collaboration.

Puppy Love

When I return home from being gone, my dogs jump up with excitement, licking my face, as if I’ve been gone for days on end. A whole 20 minutes is an eternity for them. I should be so thoughtful when my children come home from a hard day’s work at school. No, I wouldn’t lick their faces, but I certainly could behave as if they are the dearest things to me (because they are), as if I’ve missed them so much (well, most the time).

Puppy love—a love that is fierce and unselfish.

Leader—do you express this kind of love for your people? The kind that exemplifies servant leadership? The kind that elevates others before yourself? Act as if your colleagues and staff are the best ever (they are!), and they will love and protect you in return.

Persevering All the Way to China

If anybody is going to dig his or her way to China, it’s my dog. You should see my yard—holes, holes everywhere. Never give up! is their motto

Similarly, successful leaders persevere. Despite hardship and headache, they keep going until they reach the goal, even when they have to adjust the destination from China to Brazil, because of change and uncertainty. With sweat and passion, they tunnel their way to success, not letting a little dirt (or a lot) stand in their way.

So there you have it—four ways we ought to behave like dogs. Hmmm. I wonder if there are squirrels in China? Forget I asked. We wouldn’t want the dogs to find out.

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!

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!

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: