50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #42: Create a “Brag Board”

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #42: Create a “Brag Board”

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service

Put up a bulletin board to allow associates to “brag” on family, friends and co-workers.

Encourage items that help co-workers get to know each other better, as well as giving a shout-out to a co-worker in a public forum.

Encourage people to post “artwork” from their children, “thank you” notes and posters to each other, and more.

Be sure to focus on items that help co-workers get to know each other a little better. Set a limit on the number of items that can be contributed by one person at one time. But, don’t get upset if some use it more than others.

This is also a great way to let people get to know each other better, and it’s good for conversation-starters, networking/icebreaker games (Guess whose baby picture this is, or whose child or pet, etc.)… it helps people know and share backgrounds (photos of native country), hobbies, movies, books, vacations and other interests!

Be sure leaders participate as well. This will make them more human and relatable, and it will allow all team members to feel that their leaders really feel part of the team – not separate from it.

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for creating a public forum for people to learn more about each other, and give public “shout-outs” to each other for helping foster a culture of teamwork and success.

 

Posted in Podcast: 50 Ways to WOW Your Others, Rule #5: A WOWplace is Rewarding | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #41: Get In With the People

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #41: Get in with the people.

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service

Get leaders on the front lines occasionally.

This helps keep them connected to the people performing customer-facing jobs every day.

Allow leaders to find out what it’s like to walk in the shoes of the people they lead. It keeps them in touch with the issues of doing so, as well as keeping them in touch with customers and their needs and requests. It also gives front-line employees an opportunity to talk directly with their leaders.

The popular TV show “Undercover Boss” is a huge success, partly because it gives leaders a chance to see what it’s like on the front lines… and partly because it gives workers a chance to talk to leaders they never get to even see otherwise.

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for getting right in there with the people and experiencing what they experience first-hand.

 

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50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #40: Recognize and Praise Someone’s Skills, Knowledge or Accomplishment

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #40: Recognize and praise someone’s skills, knowledge or accomplishment

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service

Be as specific as possible.

Generic praise is nice, but specific accolades are much more meaningful.

Studies show that peer praise is often more meaningful than praise from leaders; however, this is usually only because the leader doesn’t always know exactly what the person did to deserve the praise. The leader may get a script at an award ceremony or similar event and recite the nice words on the paper, but they don’t mean as much to the employee as they would if their words were not delivered solely at this type of event.

That is why unexpected, specific praise about a particular activity (at the time that it happens, rather than at a big formal event) is a huge WOW!

It means that the associate’s work and activities were truly noticed and known by the leader and the associate knows the executive means it from the heart… not just from the script.

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for recognizing and praising someone’s skills, knowledge or performance.

 

Posted in Leadership/Employee Engagement, Podcast: 50 Ways to WOW Your Others, Rule #3: A WOWplace is Human... Not Humanoid!, Rule #5: A WOWplace is Rewarding | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #39: “Can we do lunch?”

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #39: “Can we do lunch?”

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service

Invite someone you don’t know (or don’t know well) to lunch.

This promotes teamwork and a sense of belonging, as well as making executives and team leaders more human and relatable.

One factor that connects employees most to a workplace is a sense of belonging. They want to feel as though they “fit” in with the rest of the group.

People won’t know if they fit if they don’t know each other; inviting someone you don’t know (or don’t know well) to lunch helps overcome this obstacle to teamwork and camaraderie and helps people feel that sense of belonging.

This is especially true if team leaders invites their team members to lunch… it shows that leaders are human and relatable, and binds team members to them.

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for getting to know others by taking them to lunch and learning about them.

 

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50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #38: Make Something Better, Easier, Faster

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #38: Make something better, easier, faster.

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service

Improve a process everyone struggles with; share the improvement.

Find a way to fix a common problem and share it!

Many people struggle with inefficient and/or confusing processes in the office. If you’re struggling with a particular process, you can bet that someone else is probably struggling with it, too. So, find a way to make it easier to deal with for yourself – and then share that knowledge.

At one of my daughter’s jobs, she had to work with a process that was very confusing. So, she created a PowerPoint presentation for herself to simplify the instructions and remind herself of the steps that needed to be taken – and in which order – to get the job done.

When someone saw her using that presentation, they asked if she could share it with them and teach them that new process. Soon, more people heard about it; management eventually asked her to present it to the whole department

What a WOW for everyone there!

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for making something better, easier and/or faster.

Posted in Podcast: 50 Ways to WOW Your Others, Rule #4: A WOWplace is Innovative, Creative & Fun! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #37: Decorate Someone’s Desk, Cubicle or Office

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #37: Decorate someone’s desk, cubicle or office.

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service

Do it up right on their birthday, anniversary, graduation, or other big life events.

What a WOW it would be to come in and find your work area festooned with balloons, streamers, signs and cards!

It’s always nice when people wish you a happy birthday, offer congratulations and even give you a group card.

But it’s a real WOW when they come into their workspace and find banners, streamers, balloons, and other items (signed cards and notes, too!) from their co-workers to really celebrate with them and do it up right!

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for decorating a co-worker’s workspace.

 

Posted in Podcast: 50 Ways to WOW Your Others, Rule #4: A WOWplace is Innovative, Creative & Fun! | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #36: Institute Motivational Meeting Openers and Closers

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #36: Institute motivational meeting openers and closers.

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service

Open and/or close every meeting with something positive shared by an attendee.

Set a new tone for your meetings with one or two minutes of positive sharing.

So many meetings begin with complaints (“the traffic was terrible, I hate meetings, my kids are driving me crazy!”).

Set a new tone by opening and/or closing every meeting with something positive shared by an attendee. Let everyone know that if anyone wants to complain (outside the room), they may do so, but once the meeting starts and all are gathered around, the complaining must stop and start the meeting off with a high note of positive sharing!

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for opening and closing meetings in a positive way.

 

Posted in Leadership/Employee Engagement, Podcast: 50 Ways to WOW Your Others, Rule #4: A WOWplace is Innovative, Creative & Fun!, Rule #5: A WOWplace is Rewarding | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #35: Start a Club

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #35: Start a club

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service

Start a book, movie, show (or other) club and have monthly meetings to share with others.

By starting a club, you can build team spirit through shared interests.

Find out if there are avid readers, movie-goers, or some other avid hobbyists in your organization and form a club so they can share with each other – great resources, new shows, fun places to dine. Hold a lunch meeting each month to share great “finds” with each other.

Invite others to join the club – let them know they don’t have to actually do the activities to be part of the club… they just have to be interested in that activity.

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for starting a club at your office.

 

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50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #34: Give Your Team Surprise Time Off

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #34: Give your team surprise time off.

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service  50 Ways to WOW

Surprise them on a Friday afternoon with lunch out and the rest of the day off.

If your team has worked really hard on a project, reward them!

Surprise your team…

just to thank them for their hard work. What a tremendous gift of time to spending participating in their favorite hobbies, sharing time with friends and loved ones, and even spending time with a beloved pet!

Here’s an added fun bonus to doing this on a Friday afternoon: Hard workers will appreciate it after working all week and still coming in on Friday… and those who call in “sick” every Friday will miss out on the treat!

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for giving your team surprise time off – and other unexpected WOWs.

 

Posted in Leadership/Employee Engagement, Podcast: 50 Ways to WOW Your Others, Rule #4: A WOWplace is Innovative, Creative & Fun!, Rule #5: A WOWplace is Rewarding | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 Ways to WOW Your Others – Tip #33: Bring in Home-Made Goodies

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Sandy

Tip #33: Bring in home-made goodies.

50 Ways to WOW, creating WOW leadership and customer service 50 Ways to WOW

Home-made snacks and specialty dishes from your culture are great ways to share traditions.

If someone likes your dish enough to ask for the recipe, share it!

Sharing your traditions is a great way to create new WOW experiences.

You can leave the goodies on your desk, on someone else’s desk, in the break room, or bring them to lunch. So many people don’t know how to cook nowadays, it will be an additional WOW to them that you can even do this.

And if someone asks you to share the recipe – please do it… even if it’s a “secret” family recipe. I had a neighbor once who made the greatest coffee cake I’ve ever tasted. But she would never share the recipe – and it was lost to everyone when she passed. What a shame!

So accept their request as the compliment it is – and share the love!

 

Remember, you can also:

Please leave your tips and suggestions for surprising your co-workers with home-made goodies. What special family treats do you share with others?

 

Posted in Leadership/Employee Engagement, Podcast: 50 Ways to WOW Your Others, Rule #4: A WOWplace is Innovative, Creative & Fun!, Rule #5: A WOWplace is Rewarding | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment