A Toolkit for Volunteer Leaders
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Recognition V-8

Sooner or later God will give everybody what they deserve.

To be appreciated, to feel important and needed is a basic human need. Encouragement and recognition are essential to human development and motivation. Before looking at this module review the more general discussion of motivation in module V-4.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

When you finish this module you should be able to:

1. Describe a range of actions that you can take to recognize accomplishment.
2. Describe how you will practice some of these actions.

WHY GIVE RECOGNITION?

According to world renowned management consultant Peter Druker, the major cause of low productivity among today's workers is the lack of meaningful recognition. "Failure to commend good performance is management's single greatest mistake. Good performance that is unrecognized deteriorates. When it comes to the managing of people, rarely can there be too much positive, reinforcement. "In their best selling book, The One Minute Manager, Blanchard and Johnson prescribe the use of "One Minute Praisings" to inspire and motivate others. They recommend that you: "Tell people up front that you are going to let them know how they are doing. Then catch them doing things right, and tell them about it in no uncertain terms."

HOW TO GIVE RECOGNITION

Your recognition-giving will be most effective if it is:

Spontaneous, expressed on the spot. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to say, and the less effective the compliment becomes. Say it now, rather than saving it for the annual recognition night.

Sincere. If you don't mean it, don't say it. If you try to deceive, your non-verbal communication will give you away, and you will end up sounding artificial and contrived.

Specific. Give attention to details. Unfortunately, much of our recognition-giving consists of light weight "marshmallow compliments" that are delayed, vague, and unconvincing, e.g., "It went well." "Good job." Such compliments are nice, but really don't carry much weight, or have much impact. Be specific in indicating exactly what the person did that was so important, and why. Compliment the "little" as well as the "big" things.

Non-verbally reinforced. A warm pat on the back, a wink, a smile, an agreeing nod of the head, excitement in your eyes will more than triple the impact of your words. The desired effect of praise can be amplified (or negated) by how it is given.

Compliment people's ideas as well as their actions. A major determinant of our personal self- esteem is how others respond to our ideas, what we say. Also, share your compliments with the "significant others" in that person's life--his or her spouse, parents, superior, friends.

Many of us have difficulty in freely praising others, and we make excuses for not doing so, e.g., "they'll get a swollen head," or "people should take pride in what they're doing and not need to be rewarded." Take a close look at yourself, and how you are showing your appreciation to others. Recognition is meaningful only if the people receiving it feel important, needed and inspired as a result of your comments and actions. If they don't, change your approach. Experiment with different forms of recognition-giving until you find ones you feel comfortable with and that work in motivating others. The better people feel about themselves, the better they perform.

Listening is also a form of recognition. Review module C-2 for a discussion of specific listening techniques.

IDEAS FOR RECOGNITION

Below is a checklist of ideas that county 4-H agents in Pennsylvania use to recognize youth in their counties.

1. To recognize 4-H members for their PARTICIPATION, reward them with

___ a trip to a 4-H camp
___ a newspaper ad listing their names
___ a letter of commendation to their parents
___ a trip to a 4-H or non 4-H educational event
___ a personal "thank you" face to face (preferably in public)
___ a party or other social event
___ participation ribbons
___ an announcement of their participation by their community club leader at a community club meeting.

2. To recognize 4-H members for meeting STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE, use

___ scholarships
___ 4-Her of the month article in the county newsletter
___ plaque in the county office
___ hall of fame at the county fairgrounds
___ gift certificate
___ recognition night
___ merit badges
___ appointment of 4-Her to the advisory committee for that event or activity
___ a letter to the 4-Her's school teacher or school administrator
___ request for the 4-Her to help with leader training.

3. To recognize 4-Hers for COOPERATION, use

___ letter of appreciation to the 4-Her
___ 4-H "team of the month" article in county newsletter
___ interagency cooperative recognition night
___ appointment of the youth to the county leader council
___ appointment of the youth to the planning committee for an event
___ television interview for local news
___ radio interview for the local extension report or talk show
___ rent billboard space for public congratulation
___ school assembly to recognize teamwork throughout the community.

4. To recognize 4-Hers for PROGRESS TOWARD PERSONAL GOALS, use

___ exhibit of the member's portfolio in the county office or a downtown business
___ news article
___ appointment as a "peer mentor" for that event or activity
___ appointment as a "county ambassador"
___ a prize (such as a self-improvement book)
___ announcement at the member's project club meeting
___ special mention at the county 4-H recognition night.

5. To recognize 4-Hers for PEER COMPETITION, use

___ ribbons (Danish system)
___ ribbons (placings)
___ trophies
___ prize money
___ banquet recognition
___scholarships to State Days (Roundup) (Camp)
___ appointment of the member as a consultant to improve the contest.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. How does your organization or group give recognition?

2. Can you identify some other occasions when recognition might be appropriate?

2. How could you do a better job of giving recognition?

EXERCISE:

Use the answers to the questions above to develop an outline plan for expanding the recognition given by your group. Identify occasions when you could give (more) recognition. Tell what you can do in the next few weeks. Tell what your organization can do in the next 12 months.