In many ways, the tools we’ve embraced to work virtually have made it faster and easier than ever to recognize employees for a job well done. Especially during times that are busy or stressful for your team (i.e. most of 2020 and 2021), sending out a virtual high-five can serve as the perfect way to boost morale and inspire everyone to perform at a higher level.
Praise is as important as ever, and my philosophy is if you see something, shout it out. As long as it’s sincere, you should share it with the team, and if you make it fun and do it consistently, it can make a huge impact on your team.
These days we don’t have to wait until the next big meeting to recognize a job well done. Tools like Slack, company-wide chat, and video emails have all made it simple to share your praise with the entire department or company.
For our sales teams, we have what we call the Tag Team Award. An online sales specialist will congratulate someone onsite on a smooth handoff, a great job on a sale, or positive feedback from a customer. When things shut down last year and we went from in-person meetings to virtual, we made the switch to sending our Tag Team Awards via quick video emails. Turns out, it’s fast, simple, and as effective as sharing it in person.
When people do great work, it’s worth celebrating, so make it fun. Ring a cowbell, play some upbeat music, do something that's exciting and out of the box! All these things can be done with a video on your phone or with a service like BombBomb. As an extra bonus, you get to practice using the same tools you’re encouraging your team to use. This is your chance to provide some encouragement. Take the opportunity to make it memorable by making a big splash and reminding everyone why the roles they play in the company and with the customers are so important.
With our busy schedules, it can be difficult to prioritize handing out praise, but as leaders, we need to be intentional about carving out the time for it. I have an email reminder that pops up every Friday that says Friday Shout Out. It prompts me to identify someone from Do You Convert who did something exceptional that week. I record a BombBomb, drop it in our Slack channel, and highlight someone. Like any skill, giving praise is a habit you have to form deliberately.
Of course, you don’t have to wait until you’re reminded. If someone does something remarkable, shout it out right away. As long as it's sincere, do it as much as you possibly can. Just remember to make it fun, share it publicly, and stay consistent, and your team will continue to grow and flourish.
