When is the last time that you were recognized for something that you did well? Do you remember a time? Unfortunately, we can all quickly remember a time that we were reprimanded for not doing something well…never a fun thing, but it can go well if you know that you will also be recognized when you do something well. The Orange Revolution is a great read about how to serve your team better. This is not a Christian book, but we were all put on this earth by God to do something specific with our lives and it often takes someone else to help pull those talents and abilities out of us. As a leader, I walked away from reading this book with a handful of tips and tools to do a better job of recognizing my team for the awesome things that they do on a daily basis to make our school better for the glory of God and the good of others. This book didn’t give me a lot of new information, but it shared some familiar information in a new way that allowed me to gain fresh perspective on the way that I celebrate “the win” with my team.
I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below…
- Never intimidated by other great minds, Edison actively sought out other men with a broad base of knowledge, a passion for learning, impeccable character, and a commitment to excellence.
- University of New Mexico professor Vera John-Steiner explains that collaboration enables people to compensate “for each other’s blindspots…Collaboration operates through a process in which the successful intellectual passions and enthusiasms of others.”
- The more power managers give to their employees, the more those employees esteem their leaders.
- Nothing else—not even bonuses or other perks—motivates like the opportunity to define and unite behind a common purpose.
- It is essential that employees feel leaders are authentic about their commitment to the cause before they buy in.
- We live in communities for a reason. We developed skills to communicate, safeguard, and find happiness in groups. Given a range of skills needed to survive, we band together to compensate for each other’s deficiencies and to magnify our singular abilities.
- By creating and Orange culture that not only expects but also nurtures competency, and then combining it with high regard for team members, breakthrough teams generate a self-perpetuating collaborative energy.
- “Do what is good for the company and what is good for guests.” No matter the cost, no matter the trouble it takes.
- It is important to note that communication is not only made up of messages sent, but also messages received.
- “A well-thought-through recognition program for which you hold your people accountable pays measurable dividends.”
- A leader’s greatest success comes by lifting someone else into the spotlight.
- “It isn’t fair to say, ‘My organization doesn’t get it.’ We all have more influence than we’ll ever know if we exert that influence for good in our teams. Each revolution starts in the mirror.”
- A goal is something measurable, trackable, and is built on analytics. Goals have realistic timelines, are measured by weighing the data, the risks, and the current assets. They are essential to success, but they follow dreams. A dream is bigger—it has no boundaries, rules or past history. It’s focused on transforming business as we know it, and approaching from a direction never pursued—or at least never attained. In dreams, we seek the outstanding change—not just within the products we create but in the results those products inspire.
- “Legacies are created by those little daily consistencies of winning,” says Chris Carmichael, “Those little consistencies, together, add up to something enormous.”
- While risk is not the most popular word in boardrooms, improvement and creation demand it.
- By their nature, recognition and rewards bring teams closer together. Develop and implement a plan to recognize individuals and teams and you’ll also not only have built-in excuses for bonding, you’ll spur greater achievements. Managers recognize employees. Employees recognize co-workers and even their managers. Everyone recognizes the teams that drive your business forward.
- Leaders who were considered most effective by their teams demonstrated the following traits:
They set measurable goals.
They answered questions truthfully and directly.
They listed respectfully to others.
They were available when colleagues or employees needed to talk.
They created an environment where employees felt free to express their views.
They accepted and valued others’ ideas.