Most teams are made up of a diversity of individuals, each with unique talents and perspectives. Though having this variety is usually a good thing, it can also create tension when those individuals don’t see eye to eye.

But in the past few months I’ve had two experiences that have reinforced my belief in the unifying power of forced collaboration. Yep, I said forced!

The first was a brainstorming session involving several highly opinionated members of our team. Put us in a room and we will disagree on everything from the weather report to the right way to wear navy blue. But here we were, gathered around a small table, facing a blank white board, obliged to emerge with nothing short of a genius solution. We really had no choice but to play nice.  
 
The second occurred outside of work, when I had the opportunity to serve on a jury. This time I was staring at 11 others, every one somehow more different from me than the next. Here we not only had to come to complete agreement, we also had to decide another person’s fate.

Challenging to say the least, right?

Well, maybe not. In the case of the trial, our jury was handed explicit instructions by the judge, which were essentially:

As Baudville’s copywriter, I am painfully aware of the number of themes we have that relate to making a difference (if you’ve ever had to write repeatedly about the concept of making a difference without saying making, a, or difference, then you know what I’m talking about).

But there is a very good reason we have so many themes of this nature. There are so many ways that a person can make a difference, whether it’s volunteering for a non-profit, working as a caregiver, or having significant impact in a business setting. All people in all situations have the power to affect the world around them in a positive way, which means our customers need to have choices when it comes to thanking these folks.

So, we have Making the Difference, and Making a Difference. We also have one called The Power of One that has a "you make a world of difference" tagline.

Inside these four walls, we giggle about the redundancy (or maybe it’s just me alone in my cubicle); but it’s actually very serious business. When you think about it, it’s pretty profound that there is such demand for this sentiment. In fact, this Saturday is National Make a Difference Day—a whole day dedicated to (here it comes) making a difference! The organization that instituted this holiday focuses on the philanthropic aspect, but since we know that making a difference can take so many forms, we like to promote them all.

Wondering how you can get involved? One way is to participate directly in volunteer efforts in your community.

You can also consider every day Make a Difference Day, and focus on the little things you can do all the time to create positive change. At work, in your neighborhood, at school, for the environment, on the political front, on the other side of the world, or even by smiling at the right person at the right time—there are opportunities everywhere!   

Finally, possibly the most significant way you can do your part is to encourage (and thank) those who make a difference. That’s not why they’re doing it, but that doesn’t mean we all don’t appreciate the efforts any less. And guess what? We have just the thing…

  

With so many tools available to us for communication, it should be surprising that so many companies claim a lack of communication as one of their biggest issues. But everywhere I’ve worked, it has been at different times, and for different reasons.

As I’ve mentioned, I have a background using recognition as a motivation strategy, and have worked in environments where recognition was part of the culture. So, when I started at Baudville it wasn’t a new concept to me. But as I started to really immerse myself in the theories, I had a revelation of sorts: recognition at its core is really just about communication.

At Baudville, one of the ways we strive to improve communication is by defining who we are, what we stand for, and what we consider to be the most valuable traits and behaviors for our staff to exhibit. We call these our core values, and we broadcast them to all staff through a variety of different communication vehicles. Then we recognize when we see them in action. It’s through recognition of ourselves and others that we all understand what we need to do to be successful.

Here’s an example: I pretty much need a meeting scheduled at 8:00 a.m. (with donuts) to make it to work on time. But my managers let it slide because I perform, and often stay late, when I get here. “Perform” happens to be one of our core values, but “punctual” is not. Thank goodness.

I know what’s expected of me because it’s clearly defined. That’s communication. If being punctual were important to my managers, I’d do it. I’d not only get to keep my job, but I would probably receive accolades for doing it. That’s reinforcement of expectations through recognition. 

You’d expect that Baudville, being a recognition company, would have some pretty solid recognition practices in place—and you’d be right! In addition to regular award ceremonies, we also have a lot of day-to-day recognition activities going on, as well as special events and individual department initiatives. Over the summer, we also introduced a company-wide peer recognition program that has been a huge hit. 

When we first introduced it, it was overwhelmingly popular. We could chalk that up to simply having excellent employees, which we do; but, I think another reason for the enthusiasm was the absence of any structured program for us to use before that. Sure, we have all kinds of recognition products at our disposal, but here the tools were put directly in our hands—and with the institution of a specific program, we simply had more motivation.

And people did go crazy with it. Obviously, there were a lot of pent up feelings of appreciation that were just dying to get out.

But just like any new relationship, the test is if it can evolve from the infatuation stage to deep commitment and not, instead, into complacency. To keep the passion for our program alive, our recognition leaders knew from the get-go that they needed several processes in place to make sure we could keep up the momentum.

Most importantly, the program incorporates our core values. When we recognize someone, we need to make sure the act or behavior fits into a category that merits recognition (performance, innovation, integrity, etc.). So, as much as they might want to, my peers cannot congratulate me on the awesome outfit I’m wearing today. Our objectives are clear, so it’s easy for us to know what to look for.

We also get regular reminders. We all get busy, or get focused on our daily tasks, so we may not stop to think about what others are doing around us. In addition to being encouraged to write at least one recognition note to a peer each week, we get email reminders to “put on our recognition goggles.”

Then there are the incentives! For one, we earn company-wide prizes for 100% participation (remember those extra casual days?). The other incentive comes from actually being recognized. It fosters a feel-good, pay-it-forward mentality that on its own keeps the recognition flowing.

If you’re thinking about starting a peer recognition program, or have one in place already, you can incorporate these simple practices that Baudville uses to help maintain the enthusiasm and longevity it needs to be truly effective.

The other day, I sent an ePraise to a coworker who had done some really nice work on a product idea. Then she emailed me back to tell me I had made her day. I was so happy to hear that, it made my day. Seriously!