Sometimes, we don’t get it quite right the first time.

Certainly, that is true of my writing. Everything I write goes through several drafts before it is published.

What you read bears little resemblance to the first draft. Writing is my way of exploring a topic and discovering what I believe about it.

Even after I have published an article, what I think may change. Such is the case with an article I wrote about two years ago, in which I identified the 3As you should have in mind when assessing staff recognition tips you may encounter on this blog, in my newsletter Briefly Noted, during my programs or elsewhere.

The truth is, not all staff recognition tips are created equally.

You realize that some tips would work for you. They resonate with you personally and are a good fit with the culture of your workplace. These are staff recognition practices you should Adopt.

Others aren’t quite right but with modification they could be. They may be a catalyst for deeper thinking. These are ideas that are “okay,” but you need to Adapt them.

There is another group of tips that may work for others but you can’t see yourself ever using them. In my previous article, I said these were ideas to Abandon.

I now realize that there is a better word—Avoid. You can’t really abandon ideas that were never in your staff recognition repertoire, but you will encounter staff recognition techniques and tools with which you are uncomfortable or which wouldn’t align with your culture. These are practices to Avoid.

That brings me to the fourth A, which is the case of old being new again. Abandon staff recognition practices that don’t work or have become stale.

Continuing to use the same recognition tools and techniques is fine if they are still working. But are they?

Pause regularly to assess your staff recognition practices. What’s working and what’s not? Observe how recipients react to the recognition you provide. Ask for feedback.

Based on what you hear and see, it may be clear that it’s time to Abandon certain staff recognition practices.

Then replace what you Abandon by Adopting and Adapting other ways to recognize staff.

Interview Right to Hire Right workshop participants go from identifying a vacancy to making a job offer, and beyond. Contact Nelson (nmscott@telus.net or phone/text 780-232-3828) to schedule an Interview Right to Hire Right workshop for your leadership team or to learn more.