Yesterday, I wrote a blog titled The Fallacy of Awards. In it I questioned the value of awards like the ADDYs or the Academy Awards. I questioned the value of awards that (often) stray from the primary mission of the activity (increasing sales or selling movie tickets.) My comments should NOT, however, be taken as casting of aspersions on the value of recognition.
Recognition can be a powerful tool. Most lists of top things employees are looking for from a good workplace will include "appreciation," "respect" and "recognition" near or at the top, well ahead of good pay. Customers respond to recognition the same way. I went to a certain dry cleaner for years because the woman who worked the counter always remembered my name and phone number and, if she was with me, that my daughter liked Tootsie Rolls. After she retired, I became a number. I had to give them all of my information every week. Shortly after that, I found a new, cheaper dry cleaner.
But recognition only works when it is genuine and sincere and when it provides true value to the targeted person. My kids could not have cared less about the participation trophies they got in Pee Wee soccer because the didn't do anything extraordinary to earn it. On the other hand, I have stayed with Netflix, despite being upset by their pricing and listing fiascoes, because their recommendation tool already has thousands of my movie reviews loaded into it and does often make inspired recommendations. They recognize my tastes in movies and create value out of that recognition.
Awards are great, if they recognize and encourage actions and behaviors that support the mission and purpose of the organization. Often, however, the recognition of a simple "thank you" and "good job" delivered honestly, directly and in a timely manner can be just as effective or more so.
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