Bravo!

One of the things that distinguishes high-performance organizations from the average ones is leadership. While leadership from the top, and management in general, is important the leadership exercised by team members across the organization is the real hallmark of high performing cultures.

Another hallmark of consistently high performing organizations is that they take the time to recognize and celebrate contribution and success.

In our company, we have a bell that we ring to call the team together to recognize and celebrate individual and/or company success, achievement, accomplishment, and effort. Anyone in the company is fully authorized to interrupt everyone's day to call attention to the extraordinary. While the bell is but one means to consistently reinforce excellence and recognition, some aren't comfortable with ringing it. The myriad smaller efforts that contribute to success may go unrecognized by the whole team if the bell has to be rung to do it.

So, one of our team members, Alexa Deghand, suggested that we convert a large blackboard in our break room to a "Bravo Board". The idea is that anyone can recognize anyone else in the company for their unique contribution. Alexa's leadership has created a whole new way to reinforce successful habits, practices, actions, ethics, and accomplishments with individual recognition of a fellow team member or members.

We've seen nearly universal participation in the weeks that we've had our Bravo Board. We've added a new dimension to celebration and recognition. Alexa has helped us narrow our focus on achievement to recognize the many smaller, extraordinary contributions made to our success by everyone in the organization.

Do you focus on regular celebrations in your company? It's amazingly powerful. There are many ways to celebrate and many ways for your team to lead. The key to creating and improving a culture of leadership and celebration on your way to incredible high performance is to be open to new ideas and leadership whenever and wherever it comes.

Bravo Alexa!