Some things I learned at a grantee meeting

I regularly convene grantees with similar projects to share the lessons they have learned, to discuss common problems, and provide project updates. These grantee groups are interactive and interesting. I always learn important things at these meetings - things beyond the status of each project.

In a recent grantee meeting, we started discussing staff turnover and how quickly the loss of key staff can de-rail or delay projects. This led us to the importance of staff recognition. The group got very energized discussing the different ways employees are recognized.

The experiences of the grantees aligned with a book that I read: The Carrot Principle by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. The book details the results of a 10-year management study of 200,000 people. The key finding is that the most successful managers provide their employees with frequent and effective recognition, which in turn leads to better staff retention along with other positive outcomes such as high productivity, engaged employees, and customer satisfaction.

According to the study, recognition accelerates positive outcomes when it is based in management that sets clear goals, communicates openly, builds trust, and holds people accountable. The grantees gave examples of recognition in each of these areas:

• Set clear goals: one agency gives "on-the-spot" award certificates to recognize employees that show behavior that helps the organization meet its goals. The awardees are also treated to lunch.
• Communicate openly: one agency holds an annual recognition event where employees are recognized for specific contributions to the organization's work.
• Build trust: one agency has suggestion boxes where employees can make suggestions for improvement in the organization. These suggestions are taken seriously and often result in changes for the better. The management of this organization makes sure that they let employees know when changes happen as a result of their suggestions.
• Hold people accountable: one agency holds leadership classes for future leaders in the organization. This class imparts the organization's expectations as well as the value it places on skilled leadership.

In The Carrot Principle, there are 125 recognition ideas. Most cost nothing. One suggestion, #110, struck me: "Chances are that you have someone on your staff who always does solid work, always meets deadlines, is always there ... and is rarely recognized. Make a point to do it today."

I want to follow my own suggestion and recognize Lisa Myers, Financial Specialist at the Health Foundation. Lisa makes sure all of our grantees receive their grant checks, pays the vendors that Foundation uses, handles all of staff's expense reimbursement checks, and answers all sorts of questions. She does this quietly and flawlessly. So, I just want to say to Lisa - thanks for all of the work you do for the Foundation and our grantees.