The Invisible Employee: Using Carrots to See the Hidden Potential in Everyone, Second Edition

4.2. 50 WAYS TO RECOGNIZE

Ever found yourself with a case of thanker's block? Not to worry, it happens to the best of us. Luckily, we've discovered that there are as many ways to provide recognition as there are people to recognize. More, actually. And that's what makes recognition fun: It is limited only by your imagination. So, to help get your creative juices flowing, we've compiled 50 fun ways to recognize your best and brightest.

For personal achievement:

1. During a recognition ceremony, give an employee a bouquet of flowers—one at a time. With each flower, express thanks for a specific achievement.

2. Assign an employee to work on the most exciting, visible project in the company. Sometimes opportunity is the greatest award.

3. Invite an employee to join you for lunch with your boss. Introduce him well and describe his recent achievements.

4. Create a funny traveling trophy—like a tiara, rubber chicken, or GI Joe doll (you da man! award)—and pass it around to the great performer of the week.

5. Clean the snow off an employee's car and get it heated up before she leaves the office on a snowy workday.

6. Put a wind-up toy genie on an achiever's desk and grant one nonmonetary wish.

7. Give an employee a garden statue for her new yard (with an inscription that reminds her how your appreciation continues to grow).

8. Buy children's party decorations (in the child's favorite theme) for an employee who is too busy to plan the child's birthday party herself.

9. Upgrade an employee's work area with a new chair or ...