I’ve seen almost everything you can see when it comes to incentive and reward programs. That’s what being around for a while does for you. And when you have a career’s worth of information in your brain the tendency is to want to explain things to the nth degree. Go on, and on, and on, and on, and on.
I’ll admit it – I’ve been known to ramble… as I am now.
The point of this post is that sometimes it’s much more impactful to say something simply.
Recognition Is No Game
This occurred to me last Sunday night as I watched “Game of Thrones” on HBO. A wonderfully written and acted series. If you’re not a Lord of the Rings fan – you probably won’t like this – it’s got sorcerers, dragons, magic and all that good stuff wrapped in a medieval cloak.
During one of the scenes a character explained that he had put his reputation on the line and he could potentially be branded a liar. In that scene he said…and I’m paraphrasing…
“A man is what others say he is, and no more. If they say he is a liar, his word is worth nothing.”
The recognition connection you ask?
“A person is what others say they are, and no more.”
Isn’t that what recognition really is? A public definition of one’s value to the organization.
Recognition within a company creates the value proposition for each and every individual.
Without public recognition – there is no common value.
Oh, we can believe it internally – we can have a high opinion of ourselves.. I can think I’m important and have all the value in the world.
But the others, the others have no anchor. Unless you’ve worked directly with someone they have no knowledge of your value… or your potential value to the organization.
And neither do the managers and executives who are making decisions for succession and promotion.
Without a public recognition system there is nothing to determine “who” employees are.
Think about it for a bit…
“A person is what others say they are, and no more.”
Simple. To the point.
Recognition systems give your company the ability to solicit and socialize “what others say you are.”
That is what recognition is… what others say you are.
It’s a valid point about recognition but I wonder about definition and how much of an influence it is on one’s character compared to one’s personal development. I wonder if they could be declared comparable influences, if one can very deeply impact another (i.e. how one projects his or herself not only defines one’s character but influences how others see it), etc.
-Mathew, Marketing Assistant at Xenium HR http://www.xeniumhr.com/bog
Thanks Mathew for the comment.
I think public recognition does two things – one – it reinforces what you already may believe and have done. And two – it can provide a reality check. If you think you’re the best strategic marketer the world has ever seen but your public recognitions focus solely on your implementation expertise it might be a good time to re-evaluate what you believe. Either way – it does then affect how you focus your energy and what type of individual you project. Bottom line though – what other think you are – you are to them – regardless of your own internal opinion.
Very interesting perspective, Paul, and one I want to think more deeply on. I think you’re on to something quite powerful here.
Thanks Derek. Appreciate the comment – let me know if you figure out how to turn the thoughts into something like facebook – I could use a couple billion right about now….