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“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” - Robert F. Kennedy
Growing up, we learned that all failures are bad. So when we did fail, it hung over our heads as an unpleasant reminder of what happens when we try something new. But failure can be good when we learn from it, and embracing the “fail fast and fail often” mentality, which focuses on risk-taking and innovation, can turn one step backward into two steps forward. Failure is a powerful teacher. It shows us what doesn’t work, so we can more quickly find our way to what does. Failing in sales and business can often be an effective and even necessary route to mastering the art of the pitch and closing more deals.
Learning from failure is a powerful skill that takes confidence in our abilities and strength to admit fault. Here are some strategies to turn a setback into a comeback:
Don’t Worry About What You Can’t Control
You can’t change what’s out of your control, and worrying about it will only make things worse. Take stock of what you can control, such as your planning and skillset, and use it to re-evaluate your process to prepare for a better outcome.
Own it
Everybody fails. Own it and forgive yourself, then learn from it and turn this negative into a positive. The best thing to do is to be honest with yourself and set your mind on improving, and the only way you can truly do that is taking responsibility for the missed opportunity.
Revise the Plan
Before you set out, what was your plan? Often times, the cause of failure is a simple oversight or misplaced effort in the planning phase. Focus on everything that happened before the failure and see what can be changed; there may be one or two things you could’ve done that’ll seem obvious with hindsight.
Seek an Outside Perspective
Sometimes we’re unable to see the cause of our failure because we lived it. An outside perspective from someone you trust, such as a mentor who is in a better position to see where things went wrong, might provide helpful guidance. Be open and honest with them about your failure; it’ll make you feel better to talk about it, and your mentor will respect you for seeking honest feedback and learning from it.
Believe in Yourself
Something went wrong, so trust yourself to make it right. It’s too easy to dwell on failure and beat ourselves into submission. A failure doesn’t make you a failure if you learn from it. Believe in your abilities and your strength to move forward because you will get better. Take risks. Expand your comfort zone. One day, you’ll look back on this and be glad it happened because it made you realize your true potential.
Try Again
The worst thing to do after a failure is stop trying. Failure can be a gift when it provides insights that help you perform better on the next attempt. When you give up, you waste that valuable information. Learn, grow, and keep moving, and this time you might just win big. There’s only one way to find out.
Setbacks are stressful, and can keep us from chasing our goals if we let them, but the courage to own it and learn from failure helps us pivot onto stronger ground for new opportunities. Millionaires and celebrities are no strangers to this; they’ve all experienced failure. Can you imagine if Steven Spielberg quit making movies after being rejected from film school? The most important thing to do after a failure is to learn from it and try again.
With the help of these strategies, your feelings of failure will subside and you’ll become even more confident in reaching your goals.
When asked about New Year’s resolutions, common responses are losing weight, getting a new job, and saving more money. For entrepreneurs, the answer is more complicated as business New Year’s resolutions require greater specificity and accountability, and the motivation to see them through.
As you and your team plan for the year ahead, consider these six, actionable business New Year’s resolutions:
1. Connect with More Customers
A new year means new opportunities to connect with more customers and grow your business. Learn as much as you can about them from social media, analytics platforms, internet forums, and blogs. Check in with existing customers and get feedback for improvement. Your customers will appreciate your proactive interest in them, and in turn, you’ll be on track to strengthen relationships and build new ones.
2. Communicate More Effectively
Miscommunication wastes time and affects morale. Nobody likes repeating themselves, and time spent clarifying is better spent knocking out approaching deadlines. Save time and help your team feel heard by asking for feedback and advice on what works best for them. Whether it’s less emails for more one-on-ones, or using a productivity tool, effective internal communication helps make all other goals seem more possible.
3. Learn a New Skill
Successful people are always learning; their student mentality keeps them open to new perspectives and innovation. Whether it’s to benefit your work or fuel a passion project, learning a new skill will help boost your confidence and give more opportunities to network with others in classes and workshops.
4. Make Time for Yourself
Running a business is hard, but it’s harder when you’re burnt out. Resolve to make time for yourself this year and set expectations with clients and colleagues, even if it’s only for a lunch break or turning your phone off after dinner. Often, complicated tasks become less complicated when you’re feeling refreshed. Taking time off allows your mind the room it needs to wander and connect the dots in unexpected ways.
5. Expand Your Comfort Zone
Make an effort to take more calculated risks and tackle different projects. It seems daunting, but the benefits far outweigh the intimidation. Expanding your comfort zone creates room for real growth and empowers you to chase new opportunities for your team, your business, and your clients. Plus, it shows that you’re versatile and bold, who wouldn’t want to do business with someone like that?
6. Set More SMART Goals
Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely goal setting is how successful people get large projects done. That also goes for New Year’s resolutions, which have a tendency to get dropped around January 7th. Keep your business New Year’s resolutions on track this year by setting more SMART goals, and ask your friend how that gym membership is coming.
When brainstorming your resolutions, reflect on these powerful business quotes for the New Year:
Mark Twain
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one."
Ben Stein
"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.”
Peter F. Drucker
“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
Oprah Winfrey
“Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.”
As you go into the New Year, effectively manage your resolutions by ensuring they stay top of mind. Consider printing them out and giving everyone a copy, and sending reminders when appropriate. Although these are business New Year’s resolutions and quotes, the advice is timeless and will help inspire greater work across a variety of teams.
A simple gift can speak volumes when you want to acknowledge, maintain, or strengthen a professional relationship. The gesture of gifting shows thoughtfulness, consideration, and appreciation, especially if that gift can be incorporated into a daily routine, or make the recipient’s average day exceptional.
Whether you are acknowledging the diligent dedication of your employees, or showing appreciation for a strategic work connection, gifting demonstrates personal investment in a relationship.
It goes without saying, but always consider a recipient’s cultural differences when brainstorming professional gift ideas; appropriate holiday gifts for coworkers show that your firm has taste, class, and manners. Something your connections will remember while laying their plans for the New Year.
By Brooke Levy
For many, negotiation is the most intimidating of all sales and business skills. It seems like one of those mysterious talents you either have or don’t have, and knowing a situation requires negotiation—buying a car, accepting a new job offer, or making a business deal—will cause some to break out into a nervous sweat. But according to negotiation expert, and Cydcor Senior Vice President and General Manager, Business to Business, Brooke Levy, negotiation can be learned.
What many people don’t realize is that they’re not bad at negotiating, they’re just doing it wrong. Like most things that require talent and practice, improving negotiation skills takes understanding what works and what doesn’t. Think about sports. You may never become a championship golfer, but with the right information about how to hold a golf club and how the wind can affect a golf ball in the air, you certainly can learn to improve your game. It’s the same with negotiation. With the right negotiating tips and techniques, and a lot of practice, you can learn how to overcome your fears and hold your own when asserting yourself.
Not everyone loves to negotiate, but understanding how to negotiate and improve your negotiation skills is critical to achieving success in almost any kind of business, and in life. Even those who never work in sales will need to negotiate at some point or another, because resolving almost any disagreement requires compromise. Learning to control and play an active role in resolving conflicts can empower you to feel less anxious when asserting yourself and your wishes, and can help you get the results you’re hoping for more often.
Brooke Levy is Senior Vice President and General Manager, Business to Business at Cydcor, where she is responsible for managing client relationships, driving results at the campaign management level, and exploring new business opportunities. Under Brooke’s leadership, revenue for one of Cydcor’s residential energy programs tripled in just 18 months. Brooke heads the company’s entire business to business sector, and she was instrumental in designing the business and legal framework for both of Cydcor’s proprietary residential energy businesses. She has also developed new mid-market sales opportunities for Cydcor, pairing clients with business models she personally built and tested to ensure long-term growth. Brooke joined Cydcor in 2013, following a successful 10-year stint as a corporate lawyer, specializing in mergers and acquisitions as well as private equity.
Wouldn’t you like to save a little extra cash every week? The savings are right in front of you—if you know where to look. It may seem like just a few dollars at a time, but add up the money you could save over a year’s time, and you will have “made” an extra $4,000 over the year that would have otherwise been spent on nonessentials. As a savvy business owner, it will work to your advantage to use your money wisely and frugally. We’ve already shared ten of our favorite tips to help you save $5,000. Here are a few more small changes you can make on a daily basis that will save you money—cash that you can use to invest in and grow your business.
Some of these tips may be easier than others for you to implement. Not to worry! Introduce some of these tips into your normal routine one at a time, and soon you’ll start to notices savings on a daily basis. Once you start to see results, you’ll be inspired to do more. From there, the money you save will begin to grow and the sky is the limit!
This article is the fifth in a series of five blog posts from management expert, and Cydcor Chief People Officer, Jeannie Finkel. In this series, Jeannie recommends the Top Five Books she believes can help you transform your management style and become a better, more effective leader.
Managers, especially those leading a team for the first time, sometimes mistakenly believe that to be effective leaders, they must shape their team members' work styles and thinking to their own. But Ken Blanchard, the author of Leadership & The One Minute Manager, is a proponent of and helped develop the concept of Situational Leadership, a leadership style in which leaders adjust their own style to meet the needs and development levels of those they manage. It focuses on flexibility, adaptability, and an awareness of the competencies and individual strengths of those on your team. Leaders who are versed in Situational Leadership come to understand that there is no single best or right way to lead, but that what’s important is using the right leadership approach for each team member.
Below Jeannie Finkel recommends the book Leadership and the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard to managers and leaders as a tool to help them become more effective and capable of leading more productive teams.
Book #4 Leadership & The One Minute Manager
Author: Ken Blanchard
Short summary: Ken Blanchard is one of the best-known modern “Management Guru’s”, with a global management development consultancy and over 40 books published and millions of copies sold. One of the first and most famous is the One Minute Manager, followed by this one, which provides a simple framework to help managers use the techniques from the One Minute Manager to tailor their management styles to the unique situation and individuals they’re working with. As with many of Blanchard books, this one is written as a fable, with a fictional entrepreneur consulting the One Minute Manager for advice as she’s finding she’s unable to get everything done by herself but also unhappy with her team’s results. As the One Minute Manager sends her out to talk to people on his team, she discovers the various leadership styles an effective manager uses to work with people at all development levels. She learns what she needs to, to become a Situational Leader.
What you’ll learn: Without giving away this book’s great secrets, you’ll learn the key skills of a Situational Leader, which are: setting goals together to be sure you’re both on the same page; accurately diagnosing your team member’s development level on the particular goal or task (are they experienced or novice, for instance); and then matching your leadership style to the person’s development level. You’ll also learn the four key style choices leaders have to match with: Directing; Coaching; Supporting; and Delegating – and what sort of behaviors go with each. Throughout the book, you’ll find little phrases such as, “when I slow down I go faster” or “you can expect more if you inspect more,” which are also some of the “aha moments” the entrepreneur has as she goes through her learning journey with the various managers in the story. They are also illuminated as nuggets of management wisdom, wrapped around the core principles I just outlined.
Why it’s a must read: Every manager should learn and master Situational Leadership, preferably early on in their career. I personally learned it during my first two years of corporate life many years ago, and I use it to this day. Two of the biggest challenges first-time managers face are: time management and delegation. Situational Leadership helps address both. What I like best about it (besides the fact that it works) is that it’s collaborative. This is especially important even for seasoned managers who take on a new team. You won’t know right away what your new team members know or don’t know – but the simple act of asking someone what level of guidance they need from you, or how comfortable they feel with a project or task, immediately helps someone feel that you care about them and want them to be successful. Using Situational Leadership principles, to create a sense of partnership and ongoing, open communication with your team, stacks the deck in your favor as a manager!
While many management courses out there are pricey and inconvenient, you can get the same invaluable experience in these books for managers written by industry leaders. Read these other posts in this series to learn about other books every manager should have on his or her bookshelf: Encouraging the Heart, Leadership is an Art, The Elements of Style, and 13 Fatal Errors Managers Make and How You Can Avoid Them.
To find out more about Cydcor, check us out on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
Jeannie Finkel, Chief People Officer at Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales, has more than twenty-five years of business experience, managing human resources and administration at top firms. Jeannie served for nearly twelve years as a Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Charles Schwab & Co. Jeannie was also Head of Human Resources and Administration for a leading asset management firm, and served as Managing Director, Talent Management Systems and Strategies for a Fortune 100 organization. Jeannie later became a Partner with leading global retained search firm, Heidrick & Struggles. With years of experience managing teams and overseeing organizations, Jeannie is a seasoned expert in management, administration, and leadership.
Looking to save a bit of money in the year ahead? As a business owner, the more money you save, the more of your money you can put back into your business. But where do you start? Finding ways to save money on a tight budget can be challenging when you’re already living a pretty frugal lifestyle, but you might be surprised how quickly small changes can add up to big savings by the end of the year.
Here are 10 easy ways to save money on a tight budget and make an extra $5,000 or more every year:
Even a small step can lead to big changes and, in this case, even bigger savings. Many of these money saving ideas are easy to implement, and they could provide benefits that go well beyond the money you’ll save, such as financial freedom for you and your family. Most importantly, living within your means can reduce the additional stress you have to manage as you work to keep your growing business healthy. Every cent you save is just one more penny you can use to help your company reach its goals.
This article is the fourth in a series of five blog posts from management expert, and Cydcor Chief People Officer, Jeannie Finkel. In this series, Jeannie recommends the Top Five Books she believes can help you transform your management style and become a better, more effective leader.
What really motivates people? What is that drives people to do their best work and be the most effective version of themselves? As a manager and leader, it pays to not just be able to confidently answer these questions but to lead in a way that inspires and fosters that passion to execute. While we all work to earn money, there are myriad rewards and benefits of a career that go far beyond monetary needs, and leaders who understand how to encourage employees and feed their emotional needs as well, have the opportunity to unlock hidden talents and potential – the kind that only emerge when employees love what they do.
Below Jeannie Finkel recommends the book Encouraging the Heart by James Kouzes and Barry Posner to any manager looking to motivate his or her employees and help team members reach their potential through encouragement and inspiring leadership.
Book #4 Encouraging the Heart
Author: James Kouzes & Barry Posner
Short summary: This is a wonderful book about the art of rewarding and recognizing others, that opens up a world of possibilities beyond just monetary rewards. The book helps us explore what really motivates people and makes them feel appreciated. The authors are best known for their major works on leadership. First was The Leadership Challenge, published in 1987, and the associated leadership development program and assessment instrument they created, used by major multinational companies. The second was Credibility, which examines what makes leaders credible, based on years of research. This book is based on one of the “5 Leadership Practices” identified in The Leadership Challenge, and it’s the only one the authors chose to build out in such detail. Kouzes and Posner recognize that one of the hardest, but most vital, things for leaders to do is excel in meeting those basic needs we all have: to be respected for who we are and recognized for what we do. This book is a “how to” manual that will help and inspire you to become great at not just meeting those needs but also unleashing truly high performance and commitment.
What you’ll learn: As with the other Kouzes and Posner books, this one starts with some foundational research, principles, and introspection. You’ll take a self-test to see how you score on the “Encouragement Index” (and might learn, to your dismay, that you’re not as good at this as you could be!). The bulk of the book takes you through the “7 Essentials of Encouraging the Heart: Set Clear Standards; Expect the Best; Pay Attention; Personalize Recognition; Tell the Story; Celebrate Together; and Set the Example.”
In the concluding section, the authors revisit introspection, with a few thought-provoking pages on “Finding Your Voice”. And finally, they provide 150 suggestions for ways to get started!
Why it’s a must read: Honestly, all three of Kouzes and Barry Posner’s books should be read by anyone who aspires to be a leader. This one, in particular, is special because it speaks to those basic needs we all have, and what we hope we will experience from this thing called “work”. As the authors say, “To us, leadership is everyone’s business. Leadership is not about a position or a place. It’s an attitude and a sense of responsibility for making a difference.” Anyone who has to work with others to get things done can benefit from the wisdom and wealth of practical suggestions in this small volume. If we put them into practice, we can make our workplace a better place…and hopefully a BEST place!
If you found this book recommendation valuable, check back to read the upcoming and final post in this series. These books can help you become the kind of leader who inspires the passion, drive, and innovation necessary for organizations to produce extraordinary results. In case you missed it, don’t forget to read last week’s post about the book Leadership is an Art.
To find out more about Cydcor, check us out on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
Jeannie Finkel, Chief People Officer at Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales, has more than twenty-five years of business experience, managing human resources and administration at top firms. Jeannie served for nearly twelve years as a Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Charles Schwab & Co. Jeannie was also Head of Human Resources and Administration for a leading asset management firm, and served as Managing Director, Talent Management Systems and Strategies for a Fortune 100 organization. Jeannie later became a Partner with leading global retained search firm, Heidrick & Struggles. With years of experience managing teams and overseeing organizations, Jeannie is a seasoned expert in management, administration, and leadership.
Becoming a great athlete requires passion, perseverance, and hard work. And just like sales, sometimes in sports you need to fail before you can succeed. These motivational sales quotes from some of the world’s best athletes show that attitude and perspective are key when it comes to achieving your goals. Because whether you’re playing shortstop in MLB or working in sales, being out in the field can be thrilling and challenging. These motivational sales quotes can help you out along the way!
When you’re in sales, the prospect of striking out with a potential buyer can be intimidating. However, don’t allow fear of failure stop you from going out there and giving it your all. Believing in yourself is the first step when it comes to succeeding in sales.
2. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” – Michael Jordan
Without a doubt, being a great salesperson requires talent. But even the most talented individuals in the world are nothing without their team! Here at Cydcor, we support each other and work together in order to achieve great things.
3. “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson
Never underestimate what you can accomplish. The higher you set your goals, the more you will achieve in the long run. With hard work and determination, you can do anything.
4. “Celebrate what you've accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” – Mia Hamm
Accomplishing your goals is an amazing feeling. It’s a sign of hard work paying off! Every time you reach one of your goals, set a new one, and always strive for improvement.
5. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King
As the old adage goes, practice makes perfect. In sales, you might make mistakes from time to time. Instead of getting down on yourself, learn from what you did wrong, and get ready to hit the field again with more knowledge and experience than before.
6. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretsky
Sales is all about putting yourself out there. If you don’t try, you’ll have no idea of what you’re capable of. When you see an opportunity for a potential client, go for it, and you’ll end up scoring in no time.
7. “When you fall, get right back up. Just keep going, keep pushing.” – Lindsey Vonn
The best salespeople are individuals with exceptional drive. You may come across bumps in the road, but don’t sweat it! Challenges can be an excellent learning opportunity. Just maintain a strong mental attitude and keep going.
8. “I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger.” – Serena Williams
Sales attracts strong, passionate individuals. Combat your doubts with your desire to succeed, and you’ll be on your way to achieving your very best.
9. “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter
Some things in your career aren’t under your control, but one thing that is under your control is your work ethic. Putting in 100% effort is what makes people great at what they do, and giving it your all until the very last minute will give you amazing results.
10. “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” – Michael PhelpsAlways dream big. Strong aspirations will transform your career from ordinary to extraordinary. If you believe you can do great things, then you will.
These famous athletes know that it takes more than just hard work to be your best; it takes passion and grit to overcome setbacks, fight through pain, and believe in yourself no matter what! Hopefully, these motivational sales quotes will help inspire your own drive to push through challenges and reach your dreams.
This article is the third in a series of five blog posts from management expert, and Cydcor Chief People Officer, Jeannie Finkel. In this series, Jeannie recommends the Top Five Books she believes can help you transform your management style and become a better, more effective leader.
There are some clear cut skills that can help anyone become a better manager, but it can take a harder-to-define set of qualities to be a strong leader. Management expert Jeannie Finkel recommends Max De Pree’s Leadership is an Art to anyone looking to find out how to establish your unique point of view as a leader, fill your organization with passion, and foster loyalty and drive within your organization. Great managers show enormous faith in the potential of their people, and this book can help you discover how to lead by establishing relationships based on mutual trust, building a culture of inclusiveness, and by offering constant support.
Below, Jeannie Finkel explains why every manager and aspiring manager should read Max De Pree’s book on leadership, to build their identity as a leader and help shape their vision for their organization:
Book #3: Leadership is an Art
Author: Max De Pree
Short summary: This is a beautifully written collection of leadership principles written by Max De Pree, son of the founder and former CEO and Chairman of Herman Miller, Inc. Herman Miller is a nearly 100-year-old company, but it has consistently been recognized throughout its history as one of the best companies to work for in America, as well as one of the best managed and most innovative.
If you’re looking to understand how leaders can create a culture and set of principles that can stand the test of time, this book is a great place to start.
De Pree opens with a story about his father as a young manager whose experience with the death of a long-time employee shaped his philosophy of leadership. De Pree’s father went on to weave those ideas into the fabric of his company and the hearts and minds of his sons, who ran the company after him. The various chapters, each written as a little essay, bring this philosophy to life, starting with the question everyone asks at one point or another: “What is Leadership?”
What you’ll learn: The most important aspect of this book is the humanity and belief in the potential of people and the human spirit that it expresses. If you are not familiar with the concept of servant leadership, by the time you finish reading, you will be, and hopefully will be inspired by it.
De Pree also lays out his ground rules for how work relationships should operate based on mutual accountability. He looks at the capitalist system and helps us imagine how it could be enhanced through a more inclusive mindset where everyone participates. He provides guidance on how to stimulate innovation by recognizing and supporting “giants”, and he reminds us of the importance of sharing culture, values and shared history through storytelling. De Pree also offers techniques for becoming alert to the signs of complacency in ourselves, and he teaches us how to recognize the signals of organizational entropy, as well.
Every time I read this book (which is about once a year!) I take something new away from it.
Why it’s a must read:
This is an enduring classic. I came upon this one because I fell in love with Herman Miller’s products and services, and their exquisite attention to design, aesthetics, functionality and harmony in creating a work environment in which people were inspired and enabled to do their best. I had the privilege to have HMI as a client when I was in the recruiting business, and in order to do my best work and find the right people for them, I had to understand the culture. The manager I worked with encouraged me to study the company and read the book – and I was captivated. It helped me visualize the kind of company I hoped to be a part of and the kind of leadership I wanted to practice. It left me with a sense of my obligations as a leader which I’ve tried hard to live up to ever since.
And on top of everything else, the writing is absolutely beautiful – it’s like reading poetry!
If you found this book recommendation helpful, make sure to check back for upcoming posts in this series to learn about two more books that can help managers build their skills, earn the trust of their team, and lead their organizations to success. In case you missed it, don’t forget to read last week’s post about the book The Elements of Style.
To find out more about Cydcor, check us out on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
Jeannie Finkel, Chief People Officer at Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales, has more than twenty-five years of business experience, managing human resources and administration at top firms. Jeannie served for nearly twelve years as a Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Charles Schwab & Co. Jeannie was also Head of Human Resources and Administration for a leading asset management firm, and served as Managing Director, Talent Management Systems and Strategies for a Fortune 100 organization. Jeannie later became a Partner with leading global retained search firm, Heidrick & Struggles. With years of experience managing teams and overseeing organizations, Jeannie is a seasoned expert in management, administration, and leadership.
It's always a boon to morale to show gratitude to employees. Making sure employees know their hard work doesn't go unnoticed is a nice reminder that the bottom line isn't the only thing that matters in sales. Is there a better time to explore ways of showing gratitude and the positive effects it can have at work than Thanksgiving?
Call-Outs: A simple "good job" in any form – whether it's during a meeting, included in a company-wide email or posted on a bulletin board in a common area – goes a long way. It may mean more when the recognition comes from management or the C-suite level, but don't discount the value of peer recognition. Encourage your employees to keep everyone informed if they think part of their team is doing exceptional work. It goes a long way towards fostering a team-oriented environment and building community within your office.
Rewards: Verbal call-outs are great, but tangible gifts and experiences can leave an even bigger mark. Gifts don't have to be extravagant; even something as simple as a photo frame for the team member’s desk, a funny coffee mug, or a stylish journal is a great way to recognize someone. Personalizing a reward to suit an employee's taste goes the extra mile toward positive reinforcement. Gift cards, a lunch out or tickets to a show also make great tokens of recognition. We’re not suggesting you should make handing out awards a daily occurrence, but recognizing employees who consistently go above and beyond is a great practice.
Group Activities: The only potential downside to singling employees out is the risk of alienating other employees who feel they were passed over. So much of business is a team effort, so why not plan a team outing that lets people relax and get to know each other on a more personal level? Dinner out, sporting events, leisure sports like bowling, scavenger hunts, live shows and movies are all great options.
If group outings feel too costly or burdensome to coordinate, consider buying lunch for the office. Planning a potluck and supplying the main dish can also bring people together.
At Cydcor, we’re constantly working to achieve outstanding results on behalf of our clients, but that doesn't mean forgetting the amazing people who make those achievements possible. It’s important to take the time to remind your employees that your own success and that of the company depends on them, their passion, their drive, and the time and effort they devote to helping the team reach its goals.
We hope you and your work family all have a safe and happy holiday season.
Happy Thanksgiving!