How Mickey Makes Magic

I just finished reading a great article about Disney's employee recognition system, HOW MICKEY MAKES MAGIC by Melinda Ligos of Success Promotions Magazine. The article talks about the importance that Disney places on employee recognition and quotes Disney Institute Facilitator, Tom Madden as saying, "Even when we're cutting budgets employee recognition is something we don't touch." That type of expression is something we've seen a lot of during the last year.

The writing highlights some great practical examples of how different Disney managers have put their mark on their personal recognition initiatives and the various tools their managers use to foster that culture of recognition like recognition tool kits which appear to be similar to Terryberry's Recognize Me Presentation Packs.

Ligos' article is another great example of how a successful organization uses recognition on a daily basis to engage their people. The Recognition 101 section at the end of piece emphasizes five key areas of their recognition strategy which includes encouraging peer-to-peer recognition. This is a trend we see the marketplace echoing as interest in our online peer-to-peer program, GiveAWow.com, grows every week.

How Mickey Makes Magic is a nice employee recognition yardstick for most businesses.

Cheerleaders in the Accounting Office vs. The Recognition Wall

We are always looking for creative employee recognition ideas and suggestions from non-traditional sources. Rick Reilly, the award winning columnist and author, had an interesting suggestion in his recent ESPN The Magazine article, "HOW WOULD I FIX THE ECONOMY? TAKE THE GAMES TO THE OFFICE" http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=reilly_rick&id=4299149. Reilly's parallels between sporting traditions of successful teams and encouraging employees in an office setting are humorous but in some cases not entirely out of the question! Sure, cheerleaders for accounting office and encouraging women to stop shaving their legs during a big sales drive are probably not going to be readily accepted business practices at anytime soon.

However, many successful organizations have implemented the Wall of Fame concept Reilly half heartedly suggests to highlight employee achievements. Actually, the recognition wall is a growing trend in business today (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdfai8r1bQE ). We've always seen similarities between superstar professional athletes who work tirelessly to win a championship ring and employees repeatedly going the extra mile to be recognized as the leaders in their field.

I'm guessing we'll never see the Gatorade shower at the end of a successful meeting or presentation but at the end of the day there are probably more recognition similarities between sports and business then differences!

HR leaders are committed to recognizing their employees, especially in tough times

We are all catching our breath from the SHRM conference in New Orleans. It was a great chance to meet and talk with so many HR leaders who are committed to recognizing the contributions of their people, especially during these historically challenging times.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Terryberry booth. We were thrilled about the overwhelming positive response to Terryberry's new recognition programs and services that were unveiled at the conference this year.

If you missed us at SHRM, Here's what you missed:

GIVE A WOW! Terryberry's revolutionary peer-to-peer recognition system debuted at the SHRM expo on Sunday. We were excited about the overwhelming positive response to the system that creates a recognition network for businesses. Watch the digital short and see what all the excitement is about.

Recognize ME! Terryberry's new line of informal managers' recognition packs were displayed in the booth. Here's a tool that contains everything you need to recognize and celebrate employees in the moment.

The WOW! Workplace. Visitors had an opportunity to meet the author of the popular book that shows businesses how to create a recognition culture that produces big results.

Recognition University. Terryberry's recognition training program educates associates on the importance of recognition and how to do it right!

What's new with Formal Recognition Programs. During these challenging economic times, businesses continue to celebrate the achievements of their most important asset., their people. Terryberry continues to develop innovative products and services to enhance these important programs.