JANUARY 26

Don’t be afraid to reward achievers.

RECOGNIZE ONE PERSON EVERY WEEK

When planning recognition, some managers worry about offending an employee or leaving someone out. So they opt to “recognize everyone” as a group.These managers not only end up alienating the stars that make a difference but reinforcing the behavior of their average and poor performers.

Instead of serving up mass praise to your work group, try this: put together a chart of all your people and recognize one person in each weekly staff meeting until you have publicly recognized them all. Don’t just recognize for “overall greatness,” but for specific behaviors that are important to you and your organization.

When you start recognizing people, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is and how nobody feels left out. You’ll also find yourself recognizing faster (even on the spot) for the “right” behaviors. In most cases, you’ll also notice your employees recognizing each other and vying for more of your recognition.