Celebrating your successes packs a punch when motivating staff

Don't we all wish we had that silver bullet at times? A single, breakthrough initiative that becomes the catalyst for a more trusting, more motivated and more engaged workforce? Reality is, of course, that building a great workplace and capturing the hearts and minds of your people is about as strategic as it gets, and not something any one single initiative can hope to achieve.

Okay, what about a highly-polished tin one then? After many years analysing the practices of some of New Zealand's best workplaces, JRA managing director John Robertson suggests there is one such initiative that does pack quite a punch. "Try celebrating your successes," he says. "One of the biggest points-of-difference we see between the best and the rest is the extent to which great workplaces constantly look to celebrate their successes.

"Even in tough times, success is all around you once you take the time to look."

According to Robertson, the beauty of celebrating success is the way it operates at so many levels. "Some of the best workplaces we have seen make this a regular event. Typically teams are asked to nominate achievements worthy of recognition. This could be anything from exceeding sales targets or reducing expenses, to exam success or outstanding customer feedback. Celebration usually sees successes published organisation-wide, and most times a coming-together of people from across multiple teams. Senior management will always be in attendance and use the opportunity to link these individual and team achievements to the broader goals of the organisation."

Why is this formula so successful? "In one hit you have the opportunity to bring teams and people from all levels together and reinforce the alignment between individual, team and organisation goals. The focus is exclusively on achievement and success, a powerful reinforcement of the performance culture we find in most great workplaces. You have multiple teams present and interacting, which is great for increasing awareness of individual team contributions, and for knocking down the 'silos' that plague so many organisations. Then of course there's the opportunity to provide that all-important recognition - something almost everyone needs and thrives on. The other important ingredient? Fun. These are social events, often conducted around a morning tea or lunch, and an excellent way to relax and enjoy good company."

JRA runs the annual JRA Best Workplaces Survey in association with the New Zealand Herald and sponsors HainesAttract and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce.

www.bestworkplaces.co.nz