IF YOU WANT EXCELLENCE, CELEBRATE SUCCESSES.

Demand excellence and you can get it. However, stars need the opportunity to shine and demands without rewards amount to tyranny. High performance organizations know this and always take the time to acknowledge excellence

Award effort but reward results.

Excellence doesn’t mean effort. As a famous philosopher once said, "do or not, there is no try.” Hard work deserves a thank you. Great results deserve more than that. They deserve recognition.

Make the rewards public.

Recognition by peers is a powerful motivator. Blowing off steam by taking a bow and having a few laughs can re-energize the workforce. Public praise when it is meaningful, specific and personal cements bonds to the company and re-humanizes demanding leaders. It’s also a great way to share tips, insights and secrets of success.

Share techniques as best practices.

People are copy cats. Why not let your workforce copy the best practices of your best performers. Give the “Stars” an award, hand them a microphone and have them take a few seconds and explain what they did to get the results they achieved. Everyone will try to copy that and you will have instantly raised the skill levels of your employees. You will praise the best performers, strengthen your culture and have fun at the same time. Big or small organizations will benefit.