What two words = the greatest career moments.

“One of the greatest moments of my entire career was hearing thank you for a job well done.”  This comment came from a leader who received praise for a specific document and was recognized openly.  It was one of the greatest moments of his career.  

It was one of the greatest moments of his career.

It cost nothing.  It was nearly effortless, and it had lasting impact.  

Even better, I asked the leader to remember that feeling of accomplishment, respect, and honor.  I asked that leader to pay it forward over and over again through his team and colleagues. I reminded him that great leaders recognize others, reinforce behavior that aligns with the values and goals of the organization and people, and create a positive environment that people don’t want to leave.  I reminded him that people want to feel valued just like him.

I challenged this leader to consider how each individual on his team wants to be recognized.  Do they like emails of recognition? Do they appreciate thank you cards or group recognition?  Do they like reports of accomplishment and discussion? 

If he didn’t already know, I challenged him to ask him/her individually. 

I challenge you to do the same for every team member (and if you’re a leader, you’re part of two teams or more!)

How do they like to be recognized?  For each team member, identify how they generally like to be recognized.  If you don’t know, ask them (hint: most employees will initially respond saying monetary contributions make them feel recognized.  However, research supports the opposite so…Dig deeper. Explore what’s important to them – what makes them feel energized?
What attributes do you contribute to the team?  I also challenge you to identify  attributes you contribute to your team…what are you proud of?  What would you like to be recognized for doing or saying or being?  Recognizing and reinforcing others’ behavior and value requires a certain level of confidence and self-awareness.  You should be able to articulate and appreciate your own value.

What attributes do they contribute to the team?  Now identify 3 attributes each of your team members brings to the team.  What value do they contribute? What areas do they excel?

This is your recognition lens.  Use this lens to start looking for opportunities to sincerely recognize and reinforce the great value of your team. You will see results almost immediately.

As a Leadership Coach and Organizational Change Manager,  I share stories of gratitude and recognition over and over again.  I express gratitude to Leaders for their gratitude toward others.  I make every effort to find the good and bring out the great in these Leaders.  Then, I thank them for bringing great and ask them to pass it on.

I don’t just say thank you. I designed over 1,000 thank you cards that have been disseminated across an organization in 8 months…virtually every employee who is part of the initiative received two cards of thanks.  Personally, I distributed about 200 hand-written cards. They are placed on cube walls, tented on the top of office cabinets and desks.

One of those cards was photographed and posted on LinkedIn earlier this year. It had great impact and many likes. The recipient commented, “Found this on my desk this morning.  I know most of us shrug it off, but there really is nothing like feeling appreciated.” I smiled.

I add thank you or other words of gratitude to emails and in meetings.   The words Thank You are everywhere.  I say the words, “I appreciate YOU” daily.  And I am sincere.  I know the organization’s success depends on these amazing Leaders and the staff.  I am grateful.

How have you received recognition that felt like the best moment in your career?  How did you pay it forward?

Communicating Change Effectively

Many models exist in the world around us that provide structure for communicating change and enabling behavioral adaptations to a new concept.  The ADKAR Model, ToP Facilitation,  the age-old eyes, heart, head, hands model and even the latest SCARF model all use a similar thread and sequence to encourage change. 

This post is going to hone in on that thread and sequence that is apparent within all of these models.  This model is easiest to use and administer regularly:  my variation of the EYES (building awareness of the change), the HEART(identifying benefits to individuals and the organization, calling out “what’s in it for me?” and “what’s in it for the organization,”) the HEAD (providing information about the change, answering the question, “what do they need to know to make the change effectively?”), the HANDS (what do they need to do to achieve success through the change?), and the FEET (how do we know the change is grounded and effective long-term?)

During any presentation or communication about organizational or behavioral change, this model helps leaders provide information that is meaningful, relevant, and timely. 

Step 1:  Describe your audience.  When there is a change, who needs to know?  Often, there are multiple groups.  Always, always, ALWAYS start with the individual or group who is most impacted by the change and then communicate to a broader audience. 

Step 2: Now that you’ve defined the audience, what is the change for them?  This message if often different for staff than it is for executives.  For example, when communicating an organizational change of leadership, you’d want to communicate with the team who will be working with the new leader FIRST.  This way, the team is able to work through their more detailed questions and understand the “new normal” before others hear about the news.  The teams’ message would be more detailed and address more questions (and preferably delivered in person) than a message to a broader group of team or the entire organization.

Craft the message:

1) EYES:  What is the change?  What will be different for the audience?

2)  HEART:  What’s in it for them (WIIFM)?  Every communication and presentation is more effective when you clearly state the benefit to the individual and organization.  Sometimes this is a guessing game, and depending on the change and audience, you may be more successful asking groups/teams this question directly to get buy-in.

3)  HEAD:  What do they need to know?  When crafting a message, it’s critical to consider what information the audience may require to successfully adapt to the change.  Timelines, dates, tactical changes, contacts/information resources, organizational impact are all included in this section of the message. 

4)  HANDS:  What do they need to do? When people are engaged, they want to know how they can help or what they can do to help make the transition to the new state.  When they are provided action steps, they are more likely to achieve buy-in for the change. Once they begin to change their behavior and do something differently, they are engaged in the change.  The sooner we can get them there (even if it’s a small task), the more likely we can build on that momentum and achieve greater buy-in for all.

5)  FEET:  I added this step over the years to ground the change.  This is the reinforcement and recognition section, answering the question, “How will I know I am successful making this change?”  This might not be included in the communication, but will certainly be included in follow up conversations as a means of ensuring that the change was successful long-term. 

Recently, I worked with a manager who used this model to create a presentation for an important meeting on-line.  She was in Minnesota, the office VP and staff were in Kentucky.  Her presentation landed her a kudos call from the VP to her boss, a potential job opportunity, and a seat on the company’s private jet. 

This is an easy model that leaders should consider implementing in their written and verbal communications to engage buy-in for change by the individuals who must make behavioral adjustments for the change to be successful. 

Questions?  Comments?  Success stories?  Leave a comment or contact me at carolyn.vreeman@gmail.com.