I have the key to a supply room in my office that is attached to a Baudville lanyard - Imagine Believe & Achieve.  Each time I see it in the drawer or pull it out to use it – it makes me stop and think about the power in these three words.   As I was mulling over possible content for this blog, I saw the lanyard.  As Cori knows, writing is not one of my strengths but, she always has some encouraging words that inspire me to push through the challenge.  I also know that I can count on her to correct my errors – did I forget to mention how great Teamwork is?  It is amazing what a little belief can do for me – both belief in myself and the belief that others have in me. 

I recently prepared material for a recognition training class for Baudville’s management team.  Along the way, it was an amazing reminder of how much leadership and recognition are intertwined.  Simply put – Great leaders recognize.   Leaders have a tremendous amount of influence on their followers – probably more than they know.  They have the great honor and responsibility to mentor, guide, encourage and nurture their followers to levels of success and excellence that may be difficult to imagine.  

There is nothing like a Michigan summer to remind you of what a great state this is. The long summer days have a way of making up for all those long, cold, and snowy winter days. Unfortunately, even with our beautiful weather, this summer has had a symbolic cloud hovering daily over many of my friends and professional associates. As I am sure all of you are aware, Michigan has been one of the states most impacted by the economic crisis, and I personally know too many highly skilled people who are looking for work.
 
Having once been in similar circumstances, I’ve now made it a personal goal to connect regularly with the people I know who are back in the job market. What I’ve found to be so interesting in talking with them is that they seem to have settled into a new perspective on job hunting. While yes, there is imminent fear about financial “peace of mind”, many of them are so disillusioned by Corporate America and how disposable they were, that they appear to be more on a soul search than a job search.
 
When I ask them what they are looking for, they unanimously reply that they want to be valued and have their work matter. They don’t care what their title is, they just want to be paid fairly and be able to impact the success of the organization.
 
My question is: when the tides turn, and the job gates open, what kind of influence will this new group of hires have on the organizations where they land?

With new-found grace and appreciation for their work and the people around them, my bet is it will be profound. People with this type of perspective will end up leading an organization, managing teams, or simply contributing to a team—and bringing with them the groundwork for a “new and improved” point of view for corporations; one that puts a higher value on individual contributions, where managers and employees will recognize and be recognized for the little things.
 
I, for one, can’t wait to see how all my great friends and associates introduce the act of recognition and appreciation to their future employers! 

At the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference in New Orleans, we met lots of new friends. One of them was Michael Long, aka the Red Recruiter. Michael was so smitten by our positive mojo and sassy shirts, that he recently wrote a blog post about us. Read it on his blog, www.redrecruiting.com. 

I’ve written before about how past companies that I’ve worked for didn’t practice employee recognition. At my previous employer, the culture was such that it was hard to imagine them ever doing it. Former coworkers that I talked with about this new job actually thought it was a bit strange. Their attitude seemed to be that it was a nice idea, but not for us. Not for you, really? You’re so confident and content that you don’t need a pat on the back once in awhile? I didn’t buy it then, and I’m not buying it now.

What’s funny is that they were so quick to write off recognition. Maybe they were harkening back to the late 1990’s, when corporate corridors were lined with motivational posters that implored you to soar to new heights, but gave nothing in return. (Remember those?) Partnered with stilted award ceremonies, they garnered more cynicism than inspiration. But recognition doesn’t have to be exaggerated or contrived; in fact, it has the potential to be really effective if it’s not.

If you want to build a recognition program, remember that there is no prescription for how it is carried out—you are at liberty to write the rules and you can make it anything you want.

Think about your company culture. It’s often upper management that forms that culture and the people who stay there long term become an influential part of it as well. It’s up to those players to create a program that they’re comfortable with that’s in tune with the company’s vibe. Don’t like flowery cards? Don’t use them. Can’t imagine ever giving a trophy? Then trophies aren’t part of your program. The core of a recognition program is recognition itself—and that can take many different forms.

We took this to heart when we started developing our latest products. As a result, there is *literally* something for everyone. Within each product category there is a range from traditional to contemporary, simple to elaborate, cheeky to sincere. We’ve also taken the conventional recognition items like trophies and certificates and turned them on their heads (so to speak). So, if you’re thinking recognition has to be serious and formal, you might want to take a second look:
  
Peel-and-Stick Recognition Notes 

Recognition, whatever its form, is vital to maintaining a happy, satisfied, and productive workforce. Find something that works for your organization and go out there and do it! 

If you’ve known Baudville for a while – ok, maybe a LONG while – then you remember a program we used to offer customers called ePraise. ePraise was a pioneer ecard program of interoffice ecards designed to recognize, thank and congratulate co-workers. 

Baudville is pleased to announce the return of ePraise FREE on Baudville.com!!!!!!! We hope the service will encourage more companies, managers and employees to do recognition daily.  For the official announcement, you can read the press release in our News Room.