Distinguished Staff Award Inspires
By Susan Templeton, Training & Organizational Development Consultant
We at POD would like to congratulate all the nominees for the 2011 Distinguished Staff Award—including our own Ujima Donalson. As with every year, I look forward to the awardees being announced and to reading their inspirational stories.
Through my experience with employee development, career management, and workforce planning, I believe that each one of us has unique strengths that we bring to our lives and our careers. Year after year, the stories of those honored with this award validate the idea that if we leverage our strengths, we can have a positive and meaningful impact on our workplaces, our communities, and all the people in our lives.
The Distinguished Staff Award also reminds us how important it is to honor the accomplishments of our staff members. While this program is a great example of formal recognition done right, recognition can be as simple as offering a few words of praise in a team meeting, a quick email, or a handwritten note. Remember to honor your employees in ways that are comfortable for and meaningful to them—and if you're not sure what's best for each individual on your team, be sure to ask!
When the 2011 awardees are announced—which should be within the next week or two—I hope you'll take a few minutes to read about them and their accomplishments on the Distinguished Staff Award website. The transformative qualities of these UW staff may give you some transformative ideas of your own. Once again, congratulations to all the nominees—and thanks to all the UW staff who contribute their time and energy to such an inspiring program!
