Message from the President

-by Melissa McCaslin, Clarkston Consulting. Triangle AMA President 2006 - 2007

Well the Triangle AMA is having an incredible year!  With membership up over 10% for the year, three programs in a row at sell-out attendance with over 100 attendees, and a new website, NC State collegiate chapter and job bank it’s hard to imagine what else could make the year more outstanding!

As I recount the chapter’s successes and send my sincere thanks to the entire Board of Directors that made these accomplishments possible, I’m reminded of how important it is to stop and celebrate success in our own organizations as well. Doing so helps us to see how far we’ve come, therefore giving us a sense of accomplishment. Often we’re so busy looking at the mountain of work we have yet to accomplish; we forget that we’ve already done great things.  

When thinking about the best ways to recognize a team’s accomplishments it’s usually good to remember a couple of tips.  For one, Recognize Publicly.  Public recognition has tremendous positive effects. It’s incredibly motivating and satisfying. We all desire to make a positive contribution, but no one wants to feel unappreciated.  If done at key intervals within a longer term project, properly timed recognition can give us the fuel we need to tackle the items still on our To-do list. 

Celebrating successes also has great team building effects and generally strengthens relationships.  People bond over common positive experiences like recalling the way hard work has paid off and goals have been reached.  This is even more important if the team had times of stress when working together. Celebrating as a group helps wash away any lingering animosities.

Lastly, consider rewarding a job well done.  Let’s face it, we don’t work just because we love our jobs (although some of us really do!), we work because it pays the bills.  And earning rewards in the form of prizes or money are always welcomed. Everything from sports tickets and time off to iPods and big screen TVs can be highly effective ways of rewarding employees that go above and beyond in accomplishing their goals. 

In short, there really aren’t any downsides to recognizing contributions and celebrating successes. In fact, I’d argue that if left undone, employees will eventually seek out an alternative corporate culture that understands the human need for recognition and regularly exhibits this form of encouragement. So be sure that your organization knows the wonderful things that you and your team have done and that your team members know you appreciate them!