The Power of Recognition

Does your team know your company’s values? Are those values just a poster on the wall—or a true filter for decision-making? And do you use recognition as a lever to reinforce them?

I learned the power of recognition from an incredible leader, David Novak , founding CEO and then Chairman of Yum! Brands. He was the chief architect behind building an extraordinary business after its spin-off from PepsiCo, with recognition as a powerful lever in that success.

Since then, in every leadership role, I’ve used recognition as a key tool to build a sustainable culture aligned with company values.

In one of my last major CEO roles, I was fortunate to work with an exceptional Head of People and Culture, Darryl Prince. He and his team reshaped our four values into the memorable acronym HERO—and they created an even more memorable CEO Award, which I handed out around 300 times over a five-year period. The impact of this award and daily re-enforcement of our values through repetition of HERO in all communication led to our 20,000 team members awareness of our values increasing from a low of less than 20% to over 80%.

Recognition is not necessarily fancy awards—it’s about making people feel seen and valued. A heartfelt email, a genuine thank-you, or a few kind words can leave an impact that lasts a lifetime. Try putting a post-it note on your monitor to remind yourself to recognise someone each day; or put it in your calendar.

This video closes by showing the ultimate power of recognition.

So—how will you recognise someone today?

Impactful Leadership can help you on this journey. Reach out at www.impactfulleadership.com or dane@impactfulleadership.com.

#ImpactfulLeadership #DaneHudson #Recognition #LeadByExample #TeamRecognition #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipImpact