Today’s Story
I worked for a Fortune 500 company for about 10 years. There were a lot of things that I loved about it, and a few that really bugged me.One of the things that made me CRAZY was the HR review process. It had so much potential, but was bureaucratic and political – and it really tied the hands of managers so that we really had almost no power over raises, bonuses and promotions.When I hired team members I would tell them
“There are some wonderful things about being here. Our HR process is not one of them. I can’t pay you an amazing amount of money, I can’t give you amazing performance ratings, but I promise you this: You will have a great experience being on this team.”
I left that role about 6 years ago, and I’ve stayed in touch with team members.
Recently, one of them said
“Tom, after you left, the magic left.”
Another said
“Tom, truly you have changed my life. I talk with others regularly about the lessons I learned from working with you.”
Frankly, I’m not that great, and I’m sure that those guys could make a HUGE list of my errors and weaknesses, but apparently I left a positive impression.
Action Point
What did I do?
One of the tools in my toolbox was handwritten, personal notes.
I bought some post it notes with “From Tom Cooper” printed on them
When someone did something helpful, I’d write a specific note like:
“Sanjay, Thanks for the work you did on the ITIM issue. I appreciate you for the way you kept the project team members from arguing, and helped them focus on the technical issues.
Tom”
I’d drop by their office and leave it on their keyboard.
You know what I saw? YEARS later those post it notes were STILL stuck to their monitors.
It didn’t take long, I didn’t have to get permission from anyone, and it cost me almost nothing.
Going Deeper
- I came across this GREAT article with a number of ideas and specific recommendations about SIMPLE recognition.
One Final Thought
- What is one specific thing you can praise a team member for?
- Can you do it in writing?
- Today?
Give it a try, and then email me and tell me how it went. tom@BrightHillGroup.com
Cooper News
Think this works?
Holly left a note in my car a while back. I think it was 2 cars ago, and about 12 years ago. I still have this note in my car….
An easy, effective, and nearly free way to have people feel smart, important and valued. Love it.