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If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.”

~Yogi Berra, baseball legend 

Question: What techniques do you use to ensure you’re headed in the right direction?

Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.

THE LESSON

I’m not a fan of hoarding stuff, but there are some things that I just can’t bring myself to throw away. For instance, in my desk, I keep a blue folder. It’s a special folder. A prized possession of sorts. The contents of that folder are very valuable. In fact, I sometimes wonder why I don’t have it in a safety deposit box. In just a moment, I’ll tell you what’s in that folder, but before I do, I want to share with you an article that I read this past weekend.

While surfing insideARM.com, I stumbled upon Brooks Mitchell’s article, Peer-to-Peer Recognition Really Works in Call Centers. In his article, Mitchell shares the story of a 200-seat call center and the peer-to-peer recognition taking place there. He notes:

Given an opportunity and a conduit, these barely minimum-wage, front-line customer service agents, when given the opportunity to recognize the people they worked with, put forth an average of 117 ‘thank-you notes’ per year.”

117 each.

That’s remarkable.

We’ve all seen bosses honor employees with certificates of appreciate, plaques of achievement, and the like. I’ve received that type of recognition, and I’ve supplied that type of recognition. While certificates and plaques are often much deserved and much appreciated, they don’t always have the same feel or hold as much meaning as the recognition we receive from our peers.

And, I should know. I have a blue folder stuffed full of thank-you cards and emails that I’ve received from my colleagues over the years — some dating back more than a decade!

Chances are you, too, have a few such notes and emails stored away. Why? Because deep down that peer-to-peer recognition touched us. We knew it was sincere, and we were proud to be recognized for our efforts. It inspired us. It motivated us. It made us smile then, and it still makes us smile today.

THE CHALLENGE

This week your challenge is to recognize the achievements of your peers or thank them for lending a helping hand. You could choose to Say Thanks (in writing), send them a personal email, or tell them face-to-face.

To foster teamwork through recognizing the achievements of others, you might consider implementing a team initiative using collector mentor’s Awesome High-Fives flyer. The concept is simple: print a couple hundred of these flyers on neon colored paper, distribute them to the team, and let the fun begin. To up the ante, why not challenge yourself with delivering one high-five a day for the next 117 days?

THE REFLECTION

Question: What is the most meaningful peer recognition that you have ever received? What made is so special?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.

© 2012 collector mentor  All rights reserved

Shh. Listen to the sounds that surround you.”

~Pete Seeger, musician 

Question: How do you practice effective listening skills?

Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.

Provided by Mint.com

You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”

~Mark Twain

Question: How do you keep your imagination in focus?

Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Question: How do you overcome the fear of the unknown? 

Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.

Everyone has a fair turn to be as great as he pleases.”

~Jeremy Collier 

Question: Sometimes life is unfair, but what do you think this quote represents?

Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.

Listen, if you start worrying about the people in the stands, before too long you’re up in the stands with them.”

~Tommy Lasorda, baseball manager

Question: What actions will you take in 2012 to ensure you don’t end up in the stands?

Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.

This week’s quote:

Work seriously and steadily. I don’t even think geniuses can get good right away.”

~ Tanaka Yukio, musician

Question:

How do you make time to invest in your career?

Please share your thoughts in the comments area below