Recognition is a form of feedback and, unfortunately, something we tend to forget to provide to our employees on a consistent basis. Employees want to know that they are doing a good job especially when they have exceeded expectations, completed a task or project successfully for the first time or meeting expectations on a development goal. Some tips for giving recognition include:

• Make giving recognition a part of your daily routine - “When was the last time you gave someone recognition?”
• Give recognition in a timely manner - Don’t wait until your next scheduled one-on-one or a formal review with the employee; do it today.
• Make the recognition meaningful to the employee - If the employee doesn’t drink coffee they may not be interested in the lastest company’s coffee mug; for some employees they just need the accolades.
• Celebrate “big” and “small” successes - Consider giving recognition at critical checkpoints rather than waiting until the end of the project; this could be the encouragement the employee needs to keep driving forward.
• Use recognition and reward programs; (e.g., movie tickets, gift certificates, trophies) - Check with your human resources professional to ensure you’re meeting the company’s guidelines so that the form of recognition is proportionate to the achievement.

Remember, behavior that gets rewarded is behavior that is repeated!

Mentoring has been around for over a thousand years, with its origination going back to Greek mythology. Homer wrote in The Odyssey that Odysseus, King of Ithaca, had to leave his home for a long journey to help fight the Trojan War. Odysseus was concerned about leaving his son, Telemachus, for such a long time and not being able to guide, nurture, and teach his son the valuable components of life and ruling a kingdom. Odysseus sought out his trusted friend, Mentor, to fill this role in his absence.

 Mentoring has survived through many generations. An example of this survival is the apprenticeships that were created between the master of a craft and the novice. The master would teach the apprentice so that the apprentice could eventually take over the master’s role as well as take over the responsibilities of the shop.

 Organizations are currently using mentoring for career, leadership, skill development and onboarding to hasten the acclimation of new employees. A mentor can provide an environment for the mentee to ask questions or raise concerns without the risk of feeling “on the line.” They can provide encouragement and build confidence through discussions and coaching. The benefits of mentoring are three-fold:

Benefits to the Mentee:

• Helps build confidence and encouragement to grow beyond the usual expectations
• Personalized education geared toward specific needs
• Increased organizational awareness
• Increased political savvy

Benefits to the Mentor:

• Personal satisfaction of giving back to the organization
• Legacy of personal knowledge, insight and experience
• Career enhancement
• Heightened visibility in the organization

Benefits to the Organization:

• A growing “seasoned” workforce
• Increased productivity
• Cost-effective training
• Increased organizational communication at all levels
• Effective way of integrating new employees into the workforce
• Recruitment of new employees