http://www.VocationalShrink.com Okay, youre all wondering; whats this got to do with recognizing employees and getting high performance in the workplace? Glad you asked. There are five lessons here: 1.Training - Be prepared to make the play. I spent my whole life learning the skills to make this catch. Not only that, I was ready with his glove on, was still paying attention in the ninth inning and had the instinctive ability to make the play of this level without thinking. A well trained, focused, present and capable workforce will not only make more plays, but will have fewer accidents, waste less material, break fewer pieces of equipment, demonstrate more cooperation, achieve better productivity and make your firm a lot more money. 2.Practice Looking back, I realized just how many hours Id practiced the skills that ultimately made his reactionary catch possible. It was a backhand play on a fast moving baseball. Only well-practiced employees will be ready to instinctively do the right thing under pressure. Those few milliseconds of indecision that separate the well-intentioned rookie from the well-honed expert could make all the difference between a catch and a costly incident. Lost time accidents, injuries and equipment damage due to inexperienced employees continues to be one of the most expensive and wasteful areas for many companies. 3.Attitude - Have the confidence to go for it while others pull back or duck. Anybody can bare hand a little pop foul, but to snag a tailing liner youve got to have a combination of experience, confidence and guts. Employees who feel valued and respected are more likely to put in the hours and the effort to be really good at what they do; not because they fear being fired if they dont, but because they like you, appreciate the company and want be a part of a winning team. Theyre also a lot less likely to take their skills to your competitors when things get tough. 4.Recognition When I turned to the stands and held up the ball, just imagine how it felt when thousands of cheering fans came to their feet in approval - it was overwhelming! Giving immediate, appropriate and genuine recognition when an employee takes a chance and it pays off is one of the most valuable things a supervisor can ever do. When your management team is ready, aware and has the tools at hand, this is not only easy, but soon becomes a habit that transcends the entire organization. Most people underestimate the value of an honest, timely pat on the back when its deserved. If your team is a well-oiled machine, your supervisors will have more time to concentrate on opportunities to use recognition, because so much less time is being wasted on recruiting, training, and coaching of new employees due to higher than necessary turnover. 5.Share the Glory While I made the play, everybody around me seemed to enjoy sharing in the moment almost as much as I did as the high-fives ensued. Lets face it, theres only so much time in the work day for celebrating success and handing out recognition. The best managers realize this, so they make sure that as many peers as possible get to participate in each recognition moment. When other team members see how often it happens, they share the love and look forward to their turn. Team-based recognition is a great way to foster camaraderie and keep everyone more focused on the job at hand. Now I know what you were saying, this was a lucky break, because I was in the right place at the right time. But what if we could create an environment in your workplace where this happened regularly; on purpose! Thats what Im going to share with you in this book, and heres the best news of all: Its fun, easier than you think, and it wont cost you any money. As a matter of fact, itll make you money, and youll be able to prove it to the CFO!

• published: 08 Feb 2010
• views: 3157