A professional colleague recently shared her story of being summoned to
the executive conference room of her employer. Normally such a summons would
spark nerves, but she knew something good was about to happen. Laverne* and a
teammate, Shirley, had just completed a big project that brought compliments
from their client. Laverne was excited and eager to hear from the management
who normally attended such meetings.
When she arrived to the conference room, Laverne was greeted by her
supervisor. The supervisor’s boss, Lenny, also was there but did not speak to
Laverne. The executive spoke to Shirley because they had worked together longer
but did not address Laverne upon arrival, while recognizing the accomplishment,
or upon their departure.
While bestowing a nominal reward to the pair, Lenny made three crucial
errors:
- He never looked at Laverne
- He misstated Laverne’s contributions
- He mocked the dollar amount of the award
When Laverne told me the story, she said it still irked her even though
it had happened weeks ago. She said she would not have cared that the write-up
was incorrect if the presentation had been kind and sincere.
Management failed to capitalize on the opportunity the situation
offered. Lenny could have solidified a bond with a super employee while he
enjoyed reminiscing with a long-time coworker, yet he missed it. He could have
inspired two superstars to continue their strong performance, yet he did the
opposite. He could have motivated two staff members, yet he became a
laughingstock as they shared their story with other coworkers. He became a
laughingstock and so did the award.
What the company intended as a sincere gesture failed because
management did not buy in to it, or was too stressed to execute accurately, or
was unable to recognize the real opportunity in front of him. The reward and
recognition backfired because of the delivery.
Laverne’s
experience is not unique, unfortunately.
Many managers treat recognition
meetings as intrusions on their day. Check out the video below to see several
different bad approaches to reward and recognition meetings.
Real leaders will see reward and recognition meetings as great
opportunities to cement employee commitment to the company. All-In leaders will see
the value of the meetings and will treat the recipients of the awards with
honor, which will in turn inspire them to keep performing well.
* Names changed
