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Thank you so much for your inspiring presentation! Your "enthusiasm" for servicing the customer certainly was "contagious" to all our associates! Many of the floral managers said, "I felt so refreshed and re-committed after the workshop!" Barbara, you certainly made an impact!

Greg Heck , Floral Merchandise Manager , Kroger Food Stores

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As one of the organizers of these events, I was approached by numerous busninessmen and Executives immediately after your presentation and later by phone. The all expressed their enthusiasm for the INSTANT RAPPORT and the positive atmosphere you created with all three audiences. They felt as if they had known you for years, and that despite the fact that some of them relied on simultaneous translation to receive your message. But even if they missed a small verbal detail, they all got your stirring and motivational messages through your vibrant body language which communicated a spirit of refreshing optimism and high expectations. Because you reviewed and summarized key points at the right intervals, participants left the lecture hall not only inspired and motivated, but also armed with specific ideas as to what they needed to do next when back at work.

Dimitri C. Tsitos, President, Synoloic Quality Systems, Athens, Greece

More of Barbara in action.

Idea of the Month from Barbara Glanz

Appreciate your employees as Individuals

This idea is excerpted from Barbara's book CARE Packages for the Workplace--Dozens of Little Things You Can Do to Regenerate Spirit at Work (McGraw-Hill, 1996) $14.95

The Idea:

Sometimes in showing our appreciation we give others a generic reward or even what WE think they would like. To truly recognize someone in a special, caring way, concentrate on that person as a unique individual.

The Idea In Action:

At Blanchard Training and Development in San Diego, California, Ken Blanchard, whose new title is "Chief Spiritual Officer," as a special surprise gave each of the 125 employees $50.00 with the following instructions:

"You each have one hour and 15 minutes to go out and do something special just for yourself. At the end of that time, come back and each of you tell us your story."

This creative surprise to appreciate their employees not only added wonderful fun and spirit for that day but more importantly contributed to company legend by creating lots of stories.

Another way the Blanchards showed special appreciation for their employees was taking the entire company with the exception of a skeleton crew who volunteered to man the phones to the International conference of the American Society for Training and Development. This was not only a fun trip for them, but they also got to learn more about the training industry of which Blanchard T&D is a part, and they were able to attend sessions that contributed to their own professional growth and development. The eight people who stayed behind to man the office were treated to a special appreciation luncheon.

At Enterprise Systems in Wheeling, Illinois, $1500 in gift certificates are available for employees to give to one another for special appreciation. The presenter writes a sentence or two about why the award was given, and they decide the amount and the way they want to present the certificate. Each employee at the beginning of the year fills out a form listing things they would like to receive for recognition such as theater or sports tickets, dinner at a certain restaurant, a beauty treatment, etc. That way the presenter knows exactly what would please that particular employee and can give them a certificate for a uniquely special thank you. Also employees have come up with some really creative ways to present the certificates, so many spirits are regenerated!

Tips:

Rewards and recognition, to be truly meaningful, should be given to the individual in a way that says, "YOU are special." Keep an "R and R" file with a list of each employee's or co-worker's interests and hobbies. Then USE this when planning a thank you just for them!

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