OCTOBER 17

It happens only once a year.

THE TOP 10

Get rid of Employee of the Year programs. They benefit only one person, and that person typically feels embarrassed to be singled out.

Instead, give out Presidential Awards or Chairman’s Awards to the top ten or twenty employees in your company. This type of recognition should include a tangible, keepsake reminder of the accomplishment and a personal meeting with the president or chairman.

Now, instead of one employee, you have gone a long way to identifying and retaining a small army of great performers.