Reward Your People

If you own a business or manage a team, how often do you reward your team for a "job well done"? Very few business professionals achieve their success in a vacuum, but rather most have a team of employees who work hard and help their boss reach the stars.

I once worked for a guy who felt that doing good work was just "their job"... and he never believed in thanking people for doing what he already paid them to do. I even heard him say that his people should thank him for having such a great job.

On the flip side, Steve Hung was one of the best bosses I had. Very early in my career I sold advertising. Steve managed sales professionals all over the country. Those who succeeded were rewarded financially by the company .... but also were praised with public kudos and individual bonus rewards of lunch, dinner or other small tokens of appreciation.

One time Steve told me that if I hit a sales quota on a project he would take me out for a sushi dinner... no limit. For a twenty-five year old kid, the cost of a good sushi meal was not in the budget, so this was very motivating. I hit the number, but years went by before I ever saw Steve again (he lives across the country). By the time I did, I no longer worked for the company. He was going to be in Austin and he called, reminding me that he owed me sushi as a reward for hitting that extra high quota years before. Now that is a good boss who not only knows how to reward his people, but keeps his promises even years later.

How about you? Do you ever walk down the hall and grab a couple of your team members and invite them to lunch and say something like, "My treat, you do a great job around here and I want to just show you my appreciation?"

If not, why not? A little thank you (the cost of a ten dollar lunch or a Starbuck's giftcard) can go a long way.

Have A Great Day.

Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
thom@thomsinger.com