How managers can create a culture of recognition?

Part of making a meaningful, engaged culture is the way we appreciate and recognize the people on our team. Everyone wants to know how their efforts and contributions made a difference to the company success and the customer’s loyalty.

“All leadership is appreciative leadership. It’s the capacity to see the best in the world around us, in our colleagues, and in the groups we are trying to lead.” David Cooperrider

Here are some great ways to create a culture of recognition:

Define what should be recognized

When you begin to think about a recognition program for your culture, it is important to establish the expected results. Managers need to articulate and define the expected behaviors that would be recognized as a job well done in their company. 

Behaviors can range from increasing revenues, cost-cutting to receiving a positive comment/feedback from a customer or to simply helping another coworker. When the goals and outcomes are clearly defined, the more people in the organization have a better idea as each person will understand how to deliver the performance expected of him or her.

Educate you employees on your Recognition Efforts

Another important aspect of creating a recognition culture is our ability to mentor our team about their efforts. We need to take the time to ensure they understand our expectations and what the company places value on. 

The best way to ensure their understanding is to seek their feedback on new initiatives they would like to be part of. They should be part of the on-going dialogue of a recognition culture. As a manager, you need to seek others’ feedback because not everything can be viewed the same way for all people in the organization. If the feedback loop is working effectively, then the people reach consensus on the program.

Encourage Peer to Peer Recognition

Employees should be encouraged to recognize their peers’ hard work as well. Managers can encourage everyone in our organization to get involved and find ways to share recognition with their colleagues. 

As more and more organizations flatten their organizational charts, the more opportunities for employees to notice each other efforts. The recognition of peer to peer can be very informal, just simply sharing feedback on someone’s great work and communicating how valuable their ideas and hard work contributed to the bottom line. 

The recognition from coworkers helps facilitate a culture of engagement that stresses each person’s strengths to the overall big picture.

Recognition programs in recent years have been placed on the back burner as companies focused on cutting costs and eliminating jobs, but now more and more companies want to build a culture of engaged and recognized culture that can impact every aspect of the company’s bottom line.

Please share some of your ideas on how to create a culture of recognition: