How to Use Awards Effectively in the Workplace

Your recognition program is hurting your culture. Not helping it. A leader once thought their annual awards ceremony was enough. But their team felt unseen and undervalued. Sound familiar? 87% of recognition programs focus on tenure. Not on behaviors that drive performance. Recognition isn't about: → Annual awards ceremonies → Generic "good job" emails → Quarterly gift cards → Public praise that makes introverts cringe It's about seeing what others miss. The best leaders I know understand: 1. Specificity and Timing Matter → Don't just say "great work"—say what made it exceptional + impact. → Small, immediate recognition beats big, delayed praise. 2. Recognition Preferences Vary → Ask your people how they want to be recognized → Some crave the spotlight, others prefer quiet conversations. 3. System Over Sentiment → Create a recognition rhythm. → Block time each week to notice what's working, not just what's broken. 4. Consistency is Key → Make recognition a regular part of your routine, not an occasional gesture. →Consistent recognition builds trust and reinforces positive behaviors. 5. Empower Peer Recognition → Encourage team members to recognize each other = culture → Peer recognition can be just as powerful as recognition from leadership. Research shows teams increase productivity by 14% with effective recognition Not by working harder But by noticing better. The leaders who build high-performing cultures? They don't have more time than you. They just leverage recognition as a multiplier. How do you recognize your team's efforts? 

During LinkedIn Live earlier this week, I shared my perspective that most leaders do a poor job offering meaningful recognition. I had this cartoon drawn to illustrate what I see as a major miss. Maybe it's not as bad as the cartoon, but not far off. At best, leaders aren't strategic about recognition. At worst, they miss the benefits altogether. Here's how to do it right and use recognition to drive results and change. Recognition is an underrated tool to drive performance. The ROI for leaders is exceptional because learning to use recognition strategically costs you nothing. Recognition can be used very effectively to create change, replicate success, and establish new behaviors across your organization. Here’s how: 1.    Spot the win. Acknowledge the specific behavior you observed, and the more details you include, the better. 2.    Link the act to the impact. Did it resolve a problem? Streamline a process? Hit the KPI? Make the connection from behavior to outcome. 3.    Make it personal. Express excitement, enthusiasm, gratitude, or satisfaction. Let them know what they did matters to you. 4.    Ask for an encore. It’s not just about praise. Get them (and others) to do it again. This is how behaviors to take hold and spread throughout an organization. When success happens, offer recognition, not as just a pat on the back but as a catalyst for the changes you want to see. #recognition #leadership #results #leadershipdevelopment #businessgrowth

Ra ra doesn’t drive performance. Most leaders think they’re nailing recognition. They say: "Great job, team!" "Appreciate the hard work!" But here’s the truth: Generic praise doesn’t stick. It’s forgettable. It doesn’t motivate. And it certainly doesn’t drive performance. Why? 🚫 No specifics – People don’t know what they did well, so they can’t improve or repeat it. 🚫 It feels routine – When recognition sounds the same every time, it loses its impact. 🚫 It skips the ‘how’ – Effort, problem-solving, and resilience go unnoticed. 🚫 It’s impersonal – People feel valued when they’re seen, not when they’re lumped into a group. So, how do you fix this? ✅ Be specific and direct – Say exactly what stood out. "Your insights in that meeting helped us refine our approach - thank you for speaking up." ✅ Recognize the process, not just the results - Effort matters. Acknowledge persistence, creativity, and problem-solving, not just the final win. ✅ Make it public when possible - Celebrate people in front of their peers. It reinforces a culture of appreciation. ✅ Encourage peer recognition - Top-down praise is good, but recognition from colleagues builds stronger teams. ✅ Make it personal - Know what lights people up. Some thrive on public praise. Others prefer a private note. Know what motivates your team. Recognition isn’t about hype and cheerleading. It’s about reinforcing the behaviors and making people feel valued in a way that actually drives performance. If your praise isn’t driving behavior, it’s not recognition - it’s noise, and it’s time to rethink how you do it. #leader #team #recognition #highperformance