I love when people "Pay it Forward", or share "Random acts of Kindness". They are movements rooted in Love towards our fellow human beings.
March 6th is Employee Appreciation Day. What gestures have you made towards someone on your team to show your appreciation?
Just so we are clear- allowing them to keep their job, giving them a paycheck, and casual Fridays do not count! I am looking for something you personally did for someone on your team that raised their spirits, made their day, or increased their feelings of self-worth. Then we can all have a list of humane gestures we can share with our teams. Let's see how big a list we can create.
Here are 2 from me:
1. Remembering them on their birthday. I had a President that sent out birthday cards to all the employees on their birthday. This struck me as a cool thing to do, especially since there were around 400 employees. I have tried to remember those special to me by calling them up and singing to them on that day.
2. Allowing team members the freedom to create their own work processes as long as they work within a framework set by you. As a Chef, I learned so many creative techniques that my cooks brought with them. As a training director, I learned so many creative ways to educate people. This happened because of the respect I had for the gifts of those I worked with and the lack of ego or paradigms that keep us from allowing others to lead and teach.
Here are 8 gifts a leader can give their followers from Max Depree's "Leadership Jazz" book:
Space- to be the kind of person they can be. Opportunity- to serve. Challenge- constraints are enabling friends. Clarity- in objectives, in evaluation, and in feedback. Authenticity- that gives the hierarchy its true value, that gives me the right to offer gifts, that neither overlooks nor oppresses. Meaning- the last foundation of hope. Responsibility- a result of love. Conscience- that forbids people to enjoy apathy or debilitating ease.
What is on your list? Please comment on this blog- so others can learn from you and I will add all responses to this blog for the archives.
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