When is the last time you received a handwritten thank you note? It was probably in response to a gift you gave someone for a birthday party, bridal shower or wedding. Those are expected. But have you ever received a thank you note from your boss? Those are less likely to happen, unless you worked at Campbell Soup. After taking over as Campbell Soup’s CEO in 2001, a time when revenue and employee engagement were in decline, Doug Conant spent time every night writing thank you cards to 10-20 employees whose contributions came to his attention that day. That’s around 30,000 handwritten cards over the course of the 10 years Conant spent turning around the business and re-invigorating company morale.
In their book The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner say, “You either lead by example or you don’t lead at all.” That’s what Conant was doing. His daily recognition of his employees’ accomplishments, both big and small, was probably not what led to Campbell’s turnaround, but it certainly didn’t hurt. Recognition isn’t just a habit; it’s also contagious. By setting that example, Conant was creating a culture of one-on-one recognition within the company, something that many companies lack.
That’s the mission of Best Companies Group. We “identify and recognize” places of employment that are leading the way in defining the employee experience of the 21stcentury. So tell us: How do you personally recognize the achievements of your employees? In what ways do you lead by example?
Read more about how leading by example can be beneficial to your employees here.
