RECOGNITION WORKS!

We give an award to the top sales guy, to the person with 25 years of service, to the truck driver with 1 million miles without a chargeable accident. We believe in the power of recognition. The why we do it may seem obvious, but it is a lot more than that.

We use recognition to:

  • Create a culture within the company that affects every attitude.

  • Say thanks and applaud success.

  • Teach others what we as an organization want to achieve.

  • Increase retention of employees.

  • Support Mission and Values.

  • Engage employees.

  • Encourage loyalty.

  • Increase customer satisfaction.

  • In summation, we believe in using recognition everyday to improve the bottom line. If that's important to you, then we're speaking the same language. Come with us on this journey.

    Take a look at the topics we have and see if we can help you with your recognition programs.

  • Need ideas for wording on an awards? See the Thesaurus.

  • Want to implement a sales award program but need to present the concept to management? Check out Sales Awards: An Overview.

  • Want to know the inside scoop on the Lombardi Trophy or the Oscars? Take a look at our ongoing series on Famous Awards.

  • Talk to us. We are here to help you.

    Tuesday, April 30, 2013

    Words for Effective Recognition

    Posted by Curt Denevan:


    Words have a powerful impact on a recognition presentation. Using the wrong words can often have devastating effects. Using the best words can have a tremendous positive influence. Practice is the best teacher, but perhaps here we can share some ideas.

    5 Most Important Words to Always Use:

    Results (result, resulting or similar) – “Your persistence in completing this project on time resulted in an immediate re-order by the customer!”  You are demonstrating the correlation between action and the impact of that action. By showing this in a social recognition, peers get boosted by this and learn that their efforts also can be appreciated.

    Thanks (thank you) – Too many times a simple recognition moment fails to say “thank you”. It’s pretty basic, but the point is to let the recipient know that you are indebted to them for what they did. “Thank you for your commitment to the new policy, it made a difference here.”

    You – Recognition experts describe this as THE most important word to use in a presentation. It makes the recognition personal and relevant, it gets people’s attention. It also forces you to be specific about what you are talking about. “You really did a fantastic job with the Johnson presentation”.

    Their Name – Scientific studies demonstrate that when you hear your name, your brain gets focused and attentive. Try to use their name at least 3 times in a recognition presentation. Even better when the name is in the middle of the sentence, as it is less likely to be glossed over.  “The entire management team noticed what you did Sherry, and we are all very appreciative”.

    Because – This is one of those words that will have an important point following it, which gives it greater credibility and makes it more powerful. “Tina, because  of the time you spent straightening out that situation, we were able to keep production going and didn’t lose any time”.

    What are some other impact words?

    Words for Effort
    Overcome, succeed, excel, achieve, grasp, generate, develop, design, productive, accomplish, volunteer, produce, discipline, create, resolve, execution, triumph, victory, complete, masterpiece, conquest, initiative, outcome

    Words for Quality
    Organize, improve, excellence, exceptional, striking, aware, brilliant, elegant, eloquent, intuitive, strong, outstanding, merit, talent, distinction

    Words for Attitude
    Thoughtful, responsible, creative, energetic, enthusiastic, resourceful, motivated, dedicated, innovative, reliable, vibrant, wise, flexible, versatile, consistent, considerate, commitment, confidence, imagination, passion, tenacity

    Words for Leadership
    Capable, oversight, vision, navigate, command, conduct, cutting-edge, star, champion, vanguard, role-model, respect, direction, insight, inspiring, admired, courageous, engaging, enterprising, invincible, masterful

    Words for Teamwork
    Help, support, benefit, advocate, save, encourage, revive, dependable, reliable, prepared, cooperation, advice, fortify, sponsor

    These were presented by Darcy Jacobson at Globoforce. For more ideas, go to the RCB Awards Recognition Thesaurus and also check out the Award Text Suggestions - Plaque Wording - Crystal inscriptions.

    Friday, April 5, 2013

    Cash for Recognition

    Posted by Curt Denevan: We've all heard the stories of a Sales Manager that doesn't believe in awards, that he just hands out cash as recognition for achievement. While there is considerable evidence to debunk this line of thinking, the below clip from Jerry Seinfeld says it better than any article out of the Harvard Business Review.