Recognize!

Recognize!

 

The holiday season is upon us — a time of year when we recognize those in our personal lives we are thankful for.  It is also a great time to think about recognizing those in our work life.  Things can get so busy during the year that we forget to let those we work with know how much we value their contributions.  That is why having a Recognition Plan can be so valuable. 

Those that work in our after school programs, and with our most vulnerable youth, really benefit from ongoing support and recognition to feel engaged in the program and get through challenges.  The best thinking and research in this area indicates effective recognition should:

• Have both an individual and team component
• Be aligned with organizational goals and values
• Increase employee engagement
• Create a positive work environment 
• Reward innovation, attitude and performance
• Improve employee retention

At all ages we need rewards, high fives and positive reinforcement.

It is important that recognition is meaningful, specific and connected with activities that staff value.  It doesn't have to be elaborate, but it should be personal and tied to the vision of the organization.  Here are some practices from my experience to get you thinking about your recognition strategy:

Personal Approaches

Write a personal note to a staff member who has done something great, thoughtful, or supportive.  It is so simple but often is the most meaningful.  I remind myself to be specific about what I am thankful for and to connect it to our vision of supporting student success.

Create your own personal certificate to give to those who have an achievement, present at a meeting, or reach a certain goal.  I got this idea from our Superintendent who gives out her own award, which staff often post on their walls with pride.

Invite an employee to coffee or lunch to celebrate an accomplishment. This provides some one-on-one time to acknowledge the accomplishment and make a personal connection and explore future career steps.

Find out what the staff person enjoys and get a gift that aligns with their interests/strengths.  This can run the gamut but it is best when connected to the vision.  As an example, I got a personalized coach whistle to thank a staff person who loves sports and organized a sports league in our after school program.

Provide, as a reward, opportunities for staff development to support career aspirations.  I have offered a registration to the BOOST conference to staff who attain certain goals.

Honor those exhibiting best practices.  This recognizes individual accomplishments and reaffirms specific program strategies and elements you want to see in your program.

Public Honors

Include appreciations at every staff meeting.  At our staff meetings, we always conclude with an opportunity for staff to recognize each other.

Honor a Staff Member of the Month, create a "Catch Inspiration" Award to highlight inspirational staff/stories, or create a staff nominated "Wall of Fame" and post on social media.  We have done a variety of these types of recognition strategies, usually focusing on our Facebook page, blog and newsletter.  It is a great public recognition that the honoree can send to their families and friends.

Honor years of service along with personal milestones.   This is an annual celebration at my organization.  However you celebrate it, the recognition of time given to the organization is an important and motivating right of passage.

Honor innovation with a special award where the winner can challenge you to do something new.  This is a great way to get more deeply involved with staff and it is fun and motivating too.

Team Rewards

Bring a care package to staff teams that have done great work, made it through a challenging time, or reached a milestone.  We honor school site teams with care packages and gifts throughout the year in honor of accomplishments, with thanks for a job well done, and to appreciate the strength shown in getting through challenging times.

Organize a party to appreciate staff and provide time for personal connections. We have a committee that focuses on creating social opportunities and other strategies to support a positive workplace.  It is great to get the whole organization involved and owning recognition—it encourages a culture of appreciation.

Some other Ideas

• Have staff fill out a "Recognition Preference Profile" so you know what type of recognition is preferred.
• Keep an inventory of recognition strategies and what works well (or not).

I hope some of these ideas spur your thinking about how to support, recognize, and honor those who do this necessary work.  

Recognize!

Originally posted on the BOOST Breakfast Club Blog, http://www.boostcollaborative.com/breakfastclub

Keys to Project Leadership

It has been a busy start to the year.  I am taking on some new projects, which is exciting but has expanded my workload exponentially (and slowed down my blogging!)  These new opportunities have given me cause to reflect on how I approach project leadership.

Here are some of the strategies that have been helpful to me: 

None of us is as smart as all of us.  Creating a dynamic team provides the greatest opportunity to influence project success.  It is important to take the time to understand strengths, define roles, and key into the motivations that enable a thriving community.  This community then needs effective structures to succeed.  It is especially necessary to pay close attention to the design of meetings and communication processes so they maximize collaboration, growth, and innovation.

See the forest through the trees AND the devil is in the details.  A comprehensive understanding of the big picture is necessary to determining what success looks like and the ability to communicate this is vital to effective leadership.  However, at the same time, it is necessary to get into the details of a project to understand the parameters with a degree of precision to enable an effective design of work flow.  Successfully navigating the tension between these two important but different dynamics is essential to achieving project goals.

Roll with the punches.  New projects often do not run a linear course and it is important to accept that there will be ups and downs along the way.  There will be challenges, but what is important is how we respond to adversity.  If we can stay the course and overcome, those around us can gain strength and confidence.

Follow-through is everything.  This one can be challenging when juggling multiple priorities; but a culture of accountability is essential for the team to be effective.  It is important for common expectations of responsiveness to be baked into the design and modeled at all levels of leadership.

The future is bright.  Most importantly, it is critical to keep the vision at the forefront.  Why are we doing what we are doing and what is the outcome we are seeking?  The team should be able to connect all their actions back to the vision.  A fierce advocacy for the vision being achieved should be paramount in the culture. It is the vision that can serve as the fuel for everyone.  It enables focus and perseverance and common pursuit of an outcome.

Holiday Crafting

I hosted a Holiday Party for the CalSERVES staff and AmeriCorps leaders.  We focused the party around creating handmade gifts.  It was a fun and economical way to send everyone home with some of their holiday gifting done!

I always worry about our AmeriCorps members at the holidays.  These wonderful people are serving the community, receiving only a living stipend each month that enables them to just get by.  This was a great way to partially address the challenge that can pose during the holiday.

In addition to good food (thank you Emily!), egg nog and cheer, here are the projects we did:

1. Cookies in a Jar.
I offered 5 recipes for guests to choose from, and in all the recipes, dry cookie mix would be layered into 1 quart mason jars.  I had all the basic ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda/powder, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.) and from there guests could make whatever they liked.  I had tags where they could write the recipe and raffia and ribbon to make it pretty.  We made 20 jars!

2.  Cross Stitch Ornaments
Kathy brought ornament patterns and everything else for us to cross-stitch our own ornament.  What a wonderful project and new skill that many learned.

3.  Peppermint Sugar Scrub.
Megan brought us this fun and fragrant project.  You use sugar, peppermint oil, olive oil and food coloring.  You can get creative with the pattern as you pack it into a smaller mason jar and decorate it with ribbon and card.

4.  Paper Garlands
These fun and colorful garlands can be used to bring a pop of color to any room!  Lauren brought us this project which involved string, colorful paper, and scissors.

Most importantly, I got to spend the day with so many great people...laughing and learning together like we always do!  Thank you my CalSERVES team....you are all such shining examples of what the holiday time truly means to me.