A Carrot a Day Keeps Employee Unhappiness Away

Discover how recognition can be easier and more effective than you may think, as demonstrated by Adrian Gostick at the NSCA Business and Leadership Conference.

Jessica Camerato

The dollar value of an Oscar award or an Olympic gold medal does not even compare to the paychecks of Hollywood stars and pro athletes, yet these pieces are continually sought after as symbols of excellence in their fields.

So what do your favorite celebrities’ award-winning aspirations have to do with integrators? Well, a lot.

Regardless of the profession and salaries involved, recognition is a key element in the work place. While making employees feel both engaged and satisfied can be challenging, it is a critical combination that can have major positive influences on productivity and, in turn, profits.

Author Adrian Gostik discussed this point in the interactive session, “The Carrot Principle: Using Recognition to Engage People, Retain Talent, and Accelerate Performance” at the 2014 NSCA Business and Leadership Conference in Dallas. The “Carrot Principle” focuses on how managers can successfully give their employees frequent and effective recognition. As Gostik demonstrated to a packed room of attendees, in many cases it only takes a few minutes.

There are three steps to this approach:

1. Create a Carrot Culture

Gostik examined a survey in which managers shared their perceptions of offering recognition. 26 percent were positively inclined to do it, 20 percent were afraid to do it, 22 percent were control freaks, and 32 percent were actually negatively inclined. Given that data, few seemed surprised when he stated 79 percent of employees leave their jobs because of the perceived lack of appreciation.

“People don’t leave companies, they leave supervisors,” Gostik said.

Characteristics of a good leader include goal setting, communication, trust, and accountability, all of which can be accelerated by recognition. While not all companies can recognize their employees with financial perks, Gostik explored other meaningful ways to relay the message. He asked attendees how they accomplished this and they offered several unique methods. One company sends wine and steak to the families of new employees to welcome them into the “company family.” Another attendee recalled the time he was assigned to a long business trip and his boss sent his wife a gift card to recognize the time he was kept away from home.

Related: More 2014 NSCA BLC Coverage

When recognizing employees in the office, Gostik suggested managers do it in front of others rather behind closed doors. “Recognition should almost always be public,” he said. “You’re always teaching as you recognize.”

2. Day-to-Day Recognition

There are several ways recognition can be expressed on a daily basis. This doesn’t have to be an elaborate showcase, but a simple-yet-genuine acknowledgement can go a long way.

“Thank you” is a great way to deliver appreciation. It takes more, though, than a blasé “thanks” in passing. Gostik explored effective ways to say the two words – bad deliveries include “but,” better delivers are generic yet slightly impersonal, while the best deliveries address the recipient by name and list their specific accomplishments.

During the session Gostik asked each attendee to write a thank you note to a deserving employee using the “best” method, noting the specific positive behaviors they demonstrated. Attendees hand wrote, signed and sealed the notes to deliver to their employees when they return to work.

Thank you notes are not the only solution. Other cost-effective options include buying a cup of coffee, offering to complete the employee’s least favorite task, starting a recognition box, and acknowledging special days.

Why offer this praise so frequently? Gostik offered the example of a sporting event. Fans don’t hold their cheers until the end of the competition. Rather, they root for the athletes the entire time to help them win. The same mentality can be applied in the workplace.

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