Backstory
In an age where blame and canceling permeate the culture, this company was determined to reverse the tide. They gave employees free reign to award each other for an outstanding effort. Here’s how it works.
Aptitude and Attitude
A large company hiring recent college graduates decided to choose people with attitude, rather than aptitude. The company had what it called its corporate DNA. It involved integrity, honor, and servant leadership. And it only worked, for people with the right positive and honest attitude.
One of their unique programs was called Teammate Dollars. If any employee saw a fellow worker go above and beyond, or caught someone doing something selfless, that person could reward their coworker with Teammate Dollars, good for buying things out of a catalog.
Anyone could provide the reward. No approval, no sanction by the boss. If you wanted to reward a fellow worker for what they had done or the help they provided, you simply requested whatever amount of Teammate Dollars you wanted to give.
You were given the dollars, and you gave them to your teammate. In a few sentences in the company email, you explained why the person got the reward, so everyone would know.
What a difference it made, that the opinion of folks in this company was so valued that they could authorize rewards all on their own.
Did people take advantage of this unique system? No, because their DNA was that of integrity and honor. What a concept.
P.S. It’s all a matter of trust, which starts with respect. And the whole thing comes under the umbrella of servant leadership.
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