Have a Happier New Year - Recognizing What Makes You Successful

It is that time of year again where we reflect on the past and look forward to the new. The economy is improving, allowing organizations to refocus their attention on growing their companies and getting back on their feet after several difficult years.

One of the casualties for many businesses during the last few years has been a loss of trust and connection with their teams. Every company had to dig deep and adjust to their circumstances, and that required asking a lot of their people. Downsizing, taking on more responsibilities, and doing more with less were all common themes. Now that things are improving, businesses are turning their attention back to re-building their cultures, re-visiting their values, and finding ways to re-engage their team.

Every business leader knows that their people are what make them successful. Their commitment to the company’s vision and goals are what helped them survive and are critical to their future success. One of the essential things companies can do to rebuild that trust and connection is to simply say thank you for all the hard work and sacrifices made. In fact, that is what most people want more than anything else. They just want to be appreciated, feel included, and know that their contributions matter.

Take Danmer Custom Shutters for example where we recently launched Kudos. Their story is just like thousands of other organizations large and small all around the world. They have a good business and great people but took some hits over the past few years to their culture. With the toughest times behind them, they made a commitment to re-connect with their team and focus on their culture.

They did their research on employee engagement and saw a new trend emerging around social recognition. After reviewing several options they settled on Kudos for a variety of reasons – flexibility, usability, and affordability, to name a few. They embraced the Kudos system and developed a recognition and reward program that included everyone in their organization. Their program has just begun but the results so far have exceeded their expectations.

Their video tells the story better than I ever could.

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To create one of those cultures that others admire, that attracts and retains the best and brightest, and that authors write business books on, you need to create a foundation for employee engagement. A cornerstone for that foundation is recognition and enhanced communication. The best way to create that foundation is with a system that supports the culture you want to create.

Start by recognizing those that helped you, and you will be better for it. So start the New Year off by recognizing the people that will make the New Year a great year.

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