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What You’ll Find:
⇉ This Week’s Topic
⇉ Three Things You Can Do (“Where To From Here”)
⇉ Three People I’m Thanking
⇉ A Podcast I Liked This Week
⇉ Resources On The Topic

Should Everybody Get a Trophy?

Spoiler alert, I will not be answering this question outright. But I may provoke further thought about this mindset, how it can bleed into leadership’s ability to cultivate a culture, and perhaps allow for some self-reflection. If I get you to think about what’s going on in your team, then we’ve gotten better together.

I do not have any data to support this statement, but upon inspecting where leadership can go wrong in creating thriving cultures and motivating people, I would argue that the “everyone gets a trophy” narrative is likely responsible for more frequent poor approaches to leadership in both athletics and the corporate setting than any other.

In its current form, the narrative has become a popular and convenient label for “what’s wrong with the current generation.” The current generation namely being Gen Z.

Somewhere along the line, kids participating in sports started receiving trophies for participating, and current leadership is NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.

Those who hold a view of “this generation” are the ones most likely to be in control. According to Gallup, Baby Boomers and Gen X are nearly twice as likely to be senior leaders as compared with millennials and Gen Z workers, and 22% more likely to be responsible for a budget and have control over what happens in the work environment.

While I admit the following statement is anecdotal, the messaging out there is strong enough and consistent enough for me to make this claim.

The “Everybody Get’s a Trophy” mentality is often thrown around as the root of the cause for:

Complacency
Lack of effort
Entitlement
Low Performance

But is it?

When I look at any issue confronting leadership, teams, performance, and culture, I look at it through the filter of my guiding principles which when done poorly can indeed result in complacency, lack of effort, entitlement, and low performance. All of the things you may be worried about in the trophy narrative.

For this, I pull three of them and their relation to this topic.

Communication - In this narrative, the belief is that by receiving a trophy, the message has been sent that all you have to do is show up and you will be rewarded. You are “setting unreasonable expectations.”

Recognition - By confusing rewards, like a trophy, with recognition, you likely hold a very high bar for what is worthy of recognition of your people. You are unwilling to give recognition out of fear it will result in complacency.

Engagement - Engagement comes through a connection to each other, to a purpose, and it is a driver of motivation. It is connected at its core to recognition - being seen and heard. Knowing the needs of your people is what brings you further connection and engagement.

This is where the reflection on your view of this narrative is important.

Where Leaders Seem To Get It Wrong

Allowing this mindset to cause a barrier in the way you motivate, inspire, and lead your team is a metaphor for receiving a trophy for lesser achievement.

In this position, you are reaping the benefits of compensation, power, and control - while others work harder to adapt and motivate according to the needs of their team. You are receiving the same reward despite different work.

Allowing for the narrative to impact your ability to authentically recognize the members of your team by holding the bar too high out of fear of instilling complacency, is leading with a degree of complacency of your own.

• Complacent in lack of self-reflection.

• Complacent in relying on “what got you here”

• Complacent in lack of an understanding of the important distinction between recognition and rewards.

• Complacent in adapting to the steady evolution of our generations.
  

If you dig a bit deeper, Gen Z hasn’t necessarily grown up thinking that they’ll be rewarded for lesser work, they instead have easier access to more information, exposure to more opportunities and more awareness of their needs.

They have been exposed to the newer generations that have placed a higher value on the human need to be seen and heard. They are more aware of their own need for it and more aware that it is a logical possibility to have it exist in their team or organization.

They now have:

• More options

• Incredible technology

• Mediums to express themselves through social media.

• The transfer portal

• A higher shift toward connection to what their purpose is vs what it will pay compared to prior generations.

Just as you feel “this generation” has to adapt to the ways things were and what got you here, if you are not adapting to the way things are and what is driving - through data-supported evidence - what motivates and inspires all members of your team, then you are guilty of the same thing that causes you to draw such a firm line.

Resting on the notion that they are so needy of recognition that you are going to “break this cycle and make them tougher.” Well - as evidenced by the below, if you want to produce better results by motivating your team better, you may want to (as they say in my old business) make the trend your friend. 

Taking a look at these data, the need for recognition has been steadily increasing. We are learning more and more that it matters. It did not suddenly increase 60% from 45% to 75%, skipping two generations.

Why does this matter?

• Employees who strongly agree that they receive the right amount of recognition for the work they do are 4x as likely to say there's someone at work encouraging their development.

• Employees who strongly agree that they receive "authentic" recognition are 5.2x as likely to envision a path for growth in their organization.

• Gen Z and millennials are 82% more likely to be watching for, or actively looking for, job opportunities than Gen X and baby boomers.
  **Source Gallup

Sticking with a hard line on this can have a severe impact on retention and performance.

An Opportunity For Self-Reflection

Through the steady generational change has come a deeper discovery of a human need. That is to be recognized. To be seen, heard, and valued.

Close your eyes for a second. (Wait that won’t work… you can’t read this now…)
Okay well, pretend like you’re closing your eyes and you are “giving this a go.” You’re already here, you might as well commit to the experience.

Reflect on the notion that just because you didn’t receive or require steady recognition and you are now a leader does not mean that it can be a good, and effective tool

Whoever you, yourself report to, reflect earnestly on where in your body you feel it when he/she says “hey great idea” when producing ideas is…..well your job. Or a simple “thank you for your email, that was helpful and I appreciate it” When helping them is….your job.

Now reflect on the same energy running the scenario of producing hundreds of ideas, most of which you knew were good ones, and that same person not once offering a single word about them. Did they even hear you? Are you on the right track?

Or if you played football, (or pick a sport and an element of it that was considered your job) when your coach said to you “nice block” - did you then rest and become complacent and say - my job is done now and I can rest easy knowing that my job of blocking someone was recognized? Or did your chest fill up with a little extra air and did a sense of pride sneak in by the fact that that block was seen by the person that was leading you. Did you in fact want to block like that MORE OFTEN and perhaps even fine-tune it to make it even better!

“Why would I acknowledge you for doing your job - It’s your JOB, you shouldn’t need it. Shouldn’t?

This is not about placing people up on a stage and singing their praises for doing their jobs. It’s simple and authentic recognition of your work, inviting further effort to do more of it. And complacency is not the result.

It is possible that how you came up, (get the job done, get your paycheck, and put food on the table) brings the thought of being seen or valued by a leader as a frivolous want instead of a human need.

And it is possible that the newer generations are more in tune with knowing they can expect that need to be satisfied in their workplace. As this important human need leads to engagement, motivation, connection, and with it, performance.

If a leader’s job is to get their team to perform at their highest level, is closing the door on what your people today may need actually leading at the highest level?

We’re Really Talking About Communication.

Like anything, when executed poorly, the handling of trophies or rewards within an organization - whether it be youth sports or a Fortune 500 company - can certainly have an impact. *See Distinction #4 in the bottom graphic.

If you have properly communicated what the expectations are to receive what reward, you have gone far in removing confusion and entitlement.

Through communication, if you have properly recognized your people along the way for what they are contributing -if even small - then there will be no confusion in an outcome.

If you have properly focused on doing little things to build engagement and connection to the group, then a little shiny trophy will just be that - a token reminder of a great and rewarding experience.

MISSTEPS
Replace “Subjective Incentive Bonus” for “Trophy” and if you haven’t properly communicated to your individuals along the way, leaving compensation as the only lever you have to pull to show someone how much they matter to an organization, then when the compensation gets trickier (as it has certainly this year across Wall Street and Tech) what do you have left?

Hand a winning team the same exact trophy as the losing team at the end of a hard-fought season and a competitive championship and upon inspecting the label on both trophies it says “participant"? You are surely to find a disgruntled and pissed-off member of the winning team. I do not disagree - at all.

Pay a salesperson the same exact compensation despite one producing double the revenue for the firm than the other? What does this communicate? You better bet that that will inject a layer of dis-engagement, and worse, toxicity into the culture.

By focusing more on what makes each person great, recognizing them for their contributions (even if it feels like it’s their job) laying out expectations for how their contributions can be rewarded, and understanding what motivates them - not what motivates YOU. Well then you’ll be even closer to being able to reward your team for higher achievement…and there’s a reason most trophies are gold…

Where To From Here?
Three Things You Can Do Right Now

1. Reflect.
   Your view of this trophy narrative is important to you. It is what you have been built on and what got you here. That is incredibly important to you. I would never ask you to change that view.
   
   What I would ask you to do is examine:
   A) “If I am n control of how rewards are handed out - even at the youth sports level - can I look to improve the communication around the meaning of that reward and the physical token so I can honor my belief that rewards should be earned”
   
   B) “Is this really what is plaguing my people. They are on my team. I want them to succeed. I need them to succeed. Can I do a better job at understanding what motivates them at an individual level. Is the data telling me that maybe this human need is a motivator for them. Am I being honest with myself that I am doing all that I can do”
   

2. Introduce or encourage authentic recognition.
   Do not confuse it with rewards. Recall what it feels like - sorry to use the “F WORD” with all of the grizzly leaders out there - but yes feels like when your actions were seen and heard by someone - a leader or coach of yours.
   
   Recognition is actually selfish and it is compounding - it feels good to make people feel good. The more people feel good, the more inclined they are to make others feel good.
   

3. Lower the bar to raise the bar.
   You can start now. You don’t have to be a leader to impart the positive effects of simple and authentic recognition. You can acknowledge someone on your team. Acknowledge someone in a meeting for bringing up an idea. Give them a “thanks for those thoughts you shared” when passing by them.
   
   Lower the bar on what is worthy of recognition and acknowledgment to raise the bar on what your team’s culture and performance can be.
   You can reserve what is worthy of REWARD while being generous in offering recognition.
   
   Do both well!

Shiny trophies and rewards await you!
Do it Together!
Together We Can Unlock Performance!
Together UP!

3 People I’m Thanking

Zach Mercurio PhD. 
Zach is brilliant. He is a thought leader on Purposeful Leadership, Meaningful Work, mattering, and Positive Organizational Development. He introduced me to the concept and importance of “mattering” and the elements of a culture that contribute to or detract from it. His work and a conversation I had with him got me thinking about what holds people back and brought to light for me differing mindsets between generations.
Find him here on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachmercurio/ you are sure to learn something.

“Coach T.” Bill Tierney. 
The GOAT coach T is retiring this year after 42 years in coaching. A head coach at Princeton from ‘88-2009 and Denver from ‘09-’23. Princeton was 2-13 when he arrived. They won a national championship 5 years later. He has won everywhere he has gone, winning 7 national championships (of which I was a member of 3…humble brag). He has had to adapt to many generations and their needs. He has navigated 1,000s of personalities and numerous administrations. Like any great leader, If you watch his tribute, the thoughts shared are about how he made each of them feel and not about the extraordinary success. It’s because he is a master of one of my guiding principles “The little things are big things and the big things can usually be solved with little things”. (More to come on this in another newsletter). I love him and thank him for teaching me so much.
Link to tribute: https://denverpioneers.com/watch/?Archive=4295&type=Archive

My wife - Dr. Sara Whalen Hess
You guys think I’m crazy?
Not thanking my wife in the first go-round of 3 people I’m thanking?
My wife is a former US Women’s Soccer Team Member.
Member of the famed ‘99ers, and ‘00 Olympian.
My wife is a very very tough competitor (trust me) and carries with her that Long Island mindset that so many are proud to wear.

On “trophy day” in our local soccer organization, what you’ll witness from her is calling each and every member of the team up one-by-one by name in front of everyone. Highlighting one thing she loves about them - even giving them an appropriate nickname.
When looked to to lead, she leads with a positive and understanding lens and I’m pretty confident that “Little Billy,” who received that trophy from her probably remembers the words she shared about him much more than the trophy that gathers dust on his dresser.

A Podcast I Liked This Week

Resources:

Distinctions Between Rewards vs Recognition

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